KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



lAKESPEARE 



■^ 



DITED B 
EDGAR COIT MORRIS 




cSUWt, Bttrdttt te- ^omiia«^ 




1 j</ ii^ify 



Copyright ]^^.. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSITS 



SHAKESPEARE'S 

KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



EDITED FOR USE IN SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS BY 

EDGAR COIT MORRIS, A.M, 

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 




J^on sans droict 



SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICACO 




The coat of arms on the 
title page was granted to 
Shakespeare in 1599. The 
illustrations used in the text 
are reproductions of the old 
wood-cuts designed for 
Knight's Pictorial Shake- 
speare, and are here inserted 
because of their aptness as 
well as their antiquarian 
interest. "^ 




Copyright, igil, by 
Silver, Bnrdett &' Company 



©CLA303429 




PREFACE 

THIS edition of Shakespeare's King Henry 
the Fifth is prepared for use in secondary 
schools prior to the fourth year. For this reason 
expurgated passages and variant readings are 
not recorded. Except for sHght changes, the text 
is that of the Cambridge edition. The punctuation, however, 
has been modernized, especially to avoid an obsolete use of the 
colon; and the e has been uniformly printed in the -est and 
-ed endings in all prose passages, but in verse it has been 
omitted from these syllables when they are unpronounced. 

The Introduction aims to present only such matter as should 
be given to the class before they read the play. Obviously 
much that is there briefly phrased can be expanded advanta- 
geously by the teacher; but all biographical matter and literary 
criticism are purposely omitted. If the teacher wishes to use 
them, the best way is to send the pupils to complete biographies 
and volumes of criticism after the play has been studied in class, 
unless a little biographical matter be added orally. The life of 
a writer, however, and critical estimates of his work lose all life 
and interest when garbled as they must be for condensation into 
the space available in an Introduction. 

The Notes are intended to be used in connection with the 
careful rereading of the play after it has been read through once 
in class merely for the story. The first reading will gain in interest 
if the parts are assigned to the pupils, and it may well be done 
in four or five recitation periods at most. The second reading, 
for a better appreciation of the play as well as for a clearer under- 



4 PREFACE 

standing of the text, together with the reading of the illustrative 
matter suggested in the Notes, may well occupy ten or fifteen 
periods. 

After the Notes will be found a few general topics for written 
exercises. The specific form of these topics should in all cases 
be determined by the teacher, to avoid stereotyped results from 
year to year. Some of the topics, it will be seen, are not prop- 
erly a part of the study of literature, but are inserted for the use 
of the pupils in their composition classes, which will be running 
parallel with the reading of the play. For very generally ad- 
mitted reasons, it is not desirable to assign literary topics merely 
for practice in composition; although in large classes many ex- 
ercises may be written during the literature period in order to 
save time otherwise consumed in oral recitation. On the other 
hand, the pupils may well be shown that the literature they are 
reading is a vast storehouse of fact and suggestion upon which 
they can draw when they find it difficult to select topics suitable 
for use in the composition courses. There is a distinct differ- 
ence between using literature merely as a means of teaching 
composition, and using it as an aid to composition. It is need- 
less to say that the latter is by far the better method. 

E.C.M. 



INTRODUCTION 

King Henry the Fipth is a historical play dealing with cer- 
tain important events which happened in England and France 
between 1413 and 1420, The time of the action is therefore a little 
more than two himdred years later than that of Scott's Ivanhoe, 
and about one hundred fifty years earlier than his Kenilworth. 

A historical play in Shakespeare's time was in purpose not 
unlike that of the modern historical novel, in that it attempted 
to make remote events seem vivid and personal. It differed 
however in that it had to select a few incidents, and usually told 
them in verse. Moreover it usually inserted humorous scenes 
the people of which were plainly taken from contemporary 
London life. These common people had little to do with the 
nobility in the dramatic action, and were intended mainly to 
amuse the audience. It is quite likely that they also helped to 
make the play seem real by presenting characters and incidents 
which the audience knew were taken from life. This use of re- 
alistic, humorous scenes to give plausibiHty to remote history 
is well illustrated in King Henry the Fifth. 

If any comparisons are made between this play and what we 
know of the events it imdertakes to portray, it should be kept 
in mind that Shakespeare had very meagre sources to draw from, 
and that he like other dramatists felt at liberty to change minor 
facts to suit his needs. Hence it is useless to expect the accu- 
racy of the trained historian, and our enjoyment does not de- 
pend on such accuracy. It is however sometimes necessary for 
the reader to look up facts which would have been known to 
Shakespeare's audience. 

This play was written probably in 1599 or 1600. The exact 



6 - INTRODUCTION 

date of the writing of all of Shakespeare's plays is uncertain, 
because after they were written they remained in manuscript 
form as long as their owners could keep them from the press. 
Printed plays brought no returns to the writers or owners. The 
result is that no one knows the date or even the order of the writing 
of most of Shakespeare' s plays. This play is in some ways an inter- 
esting exception to the general rule. It contains a reference to 
Lord Essex's expedition to Ireland (V, Pro., 30-33) ; and we know 
that he went in April, and returned in September, 1599. We 
know also that news of his disastrous failure reached London by 
the last of Jrnie. The lines in the fifth prologue, therefore, must 
have been written between April and June, 1599. No other of 
Shakespeare's plays can be dated so accurately. 

While reading this play we should notice one peculiar charac- 
teristic of the speeches, since they are different from those in 
any play except Julius Caesar. There is an unusual number of 
long, eloquent, resounding passages, all given to one man. Many 
other plays contain a few, but King Henry the Fifth exceeds 
them all. The reason for this is, that the people of Shakespeare's 
time were fond of hearing long poetical recitations on the 
stage as well as of seeing vigorous action; and here Shake- 
speare seems to have tried to give them of his best. As further 
proof that the people liked it, we have an incident in Hamlet 
(II, ii, 440-547) where one of the characters is brought on the 
stage and made to recite a long speech from an imaginary play 
merely for the beauty of the epic verse; and after he is through 
Hamlet commends it as well done. Nowadays an audience 
would hardly enjoy such long, declamatory speeches, whose 
interest depends so much on their eloquent verse and narrative 
form. We should therefore read these long speeches quite as 
much for their poetic beauty as for their dramatic effectiveness. 
Otherwise we miss the effect which Shakespeare's audience 
enjoyed. 



INTRODUCTION 7 

The play is written mostly in blank verse of five iambic feet. 
As is usual in long poems, the verses do not all conform to the 
perfectly regular iambic pentameter, the techincal name for 
this verse. A few of the most common exceptions should be 
noted here to help in the correct reading of them later: 

(i) A trochee often stands at the beginning of a verse, as 
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend. — I, Pro. i. 

(2) A trochee may stand within a verse, after a pause, as 

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act. — I, Pro. 3. 

(3) An anapaestic foot is sometimes used in place of an iambic, as 

Shall not be wink'd at, how shall we stretch our eye. — II, 
ii, 55- 

(4) The final syllable in -ed is often pronounced, as 

Whose high upreare^/ and abutting fronts. — I, Pro. 21. 

(5) Some words of two syllables, whose accent is now fixed, 

could then allow the accent on either syllable, as 
Killing in relapse of mortality. — IV, iii, 107. 
For her relapse is mortal. Come, come! — Pericles, III, 
ii, no. 

(6) Some words now accented on the first syllable were then 

accented on the last, and vice versa, as 
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect. — III, i, 9. 

(7) Sometimes words in -tion sounded one more syllable than 

now, as 

The brightest heaven of invGntidn. — I, Pro. 2. 

(Then the syllables -tion were pronounced -she-on.) 

(8) Words containing 1, m, n, r, could easily slur a syllable or 

expand the syllable as the verse might require, as 

Upon our spiritual convocation. — I, i, 76. 

Like music. Thereiore doth heavm divide. — I, ii, 183 



8 INTRODUCTION 

The following books should be found in every school library 
to aid in the study of Shakespeare's plays: 

A complete edition of the plays; A Life of William Shake- 
speare, by Sidney Lee (The Macmillan Co.); Shakespeare, by 
Edward Dowden ("Literature Primers" — Amer. Book Co.); 
A Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Harper's is the best.); 
The New International Dictionary, or The Century Dictionary. 
(Critical estimates of the life and works of Shakespeare are so 
numerous and of such various values, that to mention one 
would require the naming of fifty; and no other person would 
agree with the list offered.) 

The principal advantage of this text over all others is its 
departure from the usual method in the matter of references. 
Index letters have been used with words that need attention, 
either because of their peculiar meaning or because of some 
allusion or reference that might escape the attention of the 
pupils. 

^ refers to Webster^s New International Dictionary. 
^ calls especial attention to the figurative language used. 
^ refers to a Dictionary of Classical Mythology. 
^ refers to the Notes at the back of the book. 

In a few cases a numeral is used after the letter ^ to indicate 
which meaning of the word is referred to. Of course the 
teacher will see to it that the pupils find the same part of 
speech in the dictionary as is used in the text, and especially 
in the case of verbs, that there is no confusion between transitive 
and intransitive. 



DRAMATIS PERSONiE 

King Henry the Fifth. 

Duke of Gloucester, ) , ^, .. <.u t^- 

> brothers to the King. 
Duke of Bedford, , ) 

Duke of Exeter, uncle to the King. 

Duke of York, cousin to the King. 

Earls of Salisbury, Westmoreland, and Warwick. 

Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Bishop of Ely. 

Earl of Cambridge. 

Lord Scroop. 

Sir Thomas Grey. 

Sir Thomas Erpingham, Gower, Fluellen, Macmorris, J amy, officers- 

in King Henry's army. 
Bates, Court, Williams, soldiers in the same. 
Pistol, Nym, Bardolph. 
Boy. 

A Herald. 

Charles the Sixth, King of France. 
Lewis, the Dauphin. 

Dukes of Burgundy, Orleans, and Bourbon. 
The Constable of France. 
Rambures and Grandpre, French Lords. 
Governor of Harfieur. 
Montjoy, a French Herald. 
Ambassadors to the King of England. 
Isabel, Queen of France. 
Katharine, daughter to Charles and Isabel. 
Alice, a lady attending on her. 
Hostess of a tavern in Eastcheap, formerly Mistress Quickly, and now 

married to Pistol. 
Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers, and Attendants. 
Chorus. 

Scene: England; afterwards France. 




THE GLOBE THEATRE 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



PROLOGUE 



Enter Chorus. 

Chor. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend 
The brightest heaven of invention, 
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, 
And monarchs to behold the swelKng scene! 
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, 
Assume the port of Mars'"; and at his heels, 
Leash'd in Uke hounds, should famine, sword and fire 
Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all. 
The fiat unraised spirits that have dar'd 
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth lo 

So great an object. Can this cockpif" hold 



12 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [pro. 

The vasty fields of France? or may we cram 

Within this wooden O^ the very casques 

That did affright the air at Agincourt? 

O, pardon 1 since a crooked figure may 

Attest in little place a million; 

And let us, ciphers to this great accompt, 

On your imaginary forces work. 

Suppose within the girdle of these walls 

Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies, 20 

Whose high upreared and abutting fronts 

The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder. 

Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts; 

Into a thousand parts divide one man, 

And make imaginary puissance^; 

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them 

Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving' earth; 

For 't is your thoughts that now must deck our kings. 

Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times. 

Turning the accomplishment of many years 30 

Into an hour-glass: for the which supply, 

Admit me Chorus to this history; 

Who prologue-like your humble patience prayj 

Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play. [Exit. 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 13 

ACT I 

Scene I. London. An antechamber in the King's palace. 
Enter the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop oe Ely. 

Cant"". My lord, I'll tell you; that self bill is urg'd, 
Which in the eleventh year of the last king's reign 
Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd, 
But that the scambling^ and unquiet time 
Did push it out of farther question^. 

Ely. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now? 

Cant. It must be thought on. If it pass against us, 
We lose the better half of our possession; 
For all the temporal lands which men devout 
By testament have given to the church lo 

Would they strip from us; being valu'd thus: 
As much as would maintain, to the King's honour. 
Full jQfteen earls and fifteen hundred knights. 
Six thousand and two himdred good esquires; 
And, to relief of lazars° and weak age. 
Of indigent faint souls past corporal toil, 
A hundred almshouses right well supplied; 
And to the coffers of the King beside, 
A thousand pounds by the year. Thus runs the bill. 

Ely. This would drink deep. 

Cant. 'Twould drink the cup and all. 

Ely. But" what prevention? 21 

Cant. The King is full of grace and fair regard. 

Ely. And a true lover of the holy church. 

Cant. The courses of his youth promis'd it not. 
The breath no sooner left his father's body, 



14 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

But that his wildness, mortifi'd in him, 

Seem'd to die too; yea, at that very moment, 

Consideration Hke an angel came 

And whipp'd the offending Adam^ out of him. 

Leaving his body as a paradise^, 30 

To envelope and contain celestial spirits. 

Never was such a sudden scholar made; 

Never came reformation in a flood. 

With such a heady currance, scouring faults; 

Nor never Hydra-headed^ wilfulness 

So soon did lose his^ seat and all at once 

As in this king. 

Ely. We are blessed in the change. 

Cant. Hear him but reason in divinity, 
And all-admiring with an inward wish 
You would desire the King were made a prelate; 40 
Hear him debate of commonwealth affairs, 
You 'd say it hath been all in all his study; 
List his discourse of war, and you shall hear 
A fearful battle render' d you in music; 
Turn him to any cause of pohcy,^^ 
The Gordian^ knot of it he will unloose, 
Familiar as his garter: that, when he speaks, 
The air, a charter' d libertine, is still. 
And the mute wonder lurketh in men's ears, 
To steal his sweet and honey'd sentences; 50 

So that the art and practic part of life 
Must be the mistress to this theoric: 
Which is a wonder how his grace should glean it, 
Since his addiction was to courses vain; 
His companies imletter'd, rude and shallow, 
His hours fill'd up with riots, banquets, sports; 
And never noted in him any study, 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 15 

Any retirement, any sequestration 
From open haunts and popularity, 

F2y. The strawberry grows underneath the nettle, 60 

And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best 
Neighbour' d by fruit of baser quahty^. 
And so the Prince obscur'd his contemplation 
Under the veil of wildness; which, no doubt. 
Grew like the summer grass, fastest by night, 
Unseen, yet crescive in his faculty. 

Cant. It must be so; for miracles are ceas'd; 

And therefore we must needs admit the means 
How things are perfected. 

Ely. But, my good lord, 

How now for mitigation of this bill 70 

Urg'd by the commons? Doth his majesty 
Incline to it, or no? 

Cant. He seems indifferent, 

Or rather swaying more upon oar part 
Than cherishing the exhibiters^ against us; 
For I have made an offer to his majesty, 
Upon our spiritual convocation 
And in regard of causes now in hand, 
Which I have open'd to his grace at large, 
As touching France, to give a greater sum 
Than ever at one time the clergy yet 80 

Did to his predecessors part withaP. 

Ely. How did this offer seem receiv'd, my lord? 

Cant. With good acceptance of his majesty; 

Save that there was not time enough to hear, 
^ As I perceiv'd his grace would fain have done, 
The severals and unhidden passages 
Of his true titles to some certain dukedoms, 
And generally to the crown and seat of France 



16 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

Deriv'd from Edward, his great-grandfather. 

Ely. What was the impediment that broke this off? 90 

Cant. The French ambassador upon that instant 
Crav'd audience; and the hour, I think, is come 
To give him hearing. Is it four o'clock? 

Ely. It is. 

Cant. Then go we in, to know his embassy; 
Which I could with a ready guess declare, 
Before the Frenchman speak a word of it. 

Ely. I'll wait upon you, and I long to hear it. [Exeunt. 

Scene II. The same. The presence chamber. 

Enter King Henry, Gloucester, Bedford, Exeter, War- 
wick, Westmoreland, and Attendants. 

K. Hen. Where is my gracious Lord of Canterbury? 

Exe. Not here in presence^-^. 

K. Hen. Send for him, good uncle. 

West. Shall we call in the ambassador, my liege? 

K. Hen. Not yet, my cousin; we would be resolv'd. 
Before we hear him, of some things of weight 
That task our thoughts, concerning us and France. 

Enter the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely. 

Cant. God and his angels guard your sacred throne. 
And make you long become it! 

K. Hen. Sure, we thank you. 

My learned lord, we pray you to proceed 
And justly and religiously unfold ic 

Why the law Salique that they have in France 
Or should, or should not, bar us in our claim; 
And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 17 

That you should fashion, wrest, or bow your reading, 
Or nicely charge your understanding soul 
With opening titles miscreate, whose right 
Suits not in native colours with the truth; 
For God doth know how many now in health 
Shall drop their blood in approbation 
Of what your reverence shall incite us to. 20 

Therefore take heed how you impawn our person. 
How you awake our sleeping sword of war; 
We charge you, in the name of God, take heed; 
For never two such kingdoms did contend 
Without much fall of blood; whose guiltless drops 
Are every one a woe, a sore complaint 
'Gainst him whose wrongs give edge unto the swords 
That make such waste in brief mortality. 
Under this conjuration speak, my lord; 
For we will hear, note and believe in heart 30 

That what you speak is in your conscience wash'd 
As pure as sin with baptism. 
Cant. Then hear me, gracious sovereign, and you peers. 
That owe yourselves, your lives and services 
To this imperial throne. There is no bar 
To make against your highness' claim to France 
But this, which they produce from Pharamond, 
^^In terrain Salicam mulieres ne succedant:^^ 
''No woman shall succeed in SaHque land:" 
Which SaHque land the French unjustly gloze^ 40 

To be the realm of France, and Pharamond 
The founder of this law and female bar. 
Yet their own authors faithfully affirm 
That the land Salique is in Germany, 
Between the floods^ of Sala and of Elbe; 
Where Charles the Great, having subdu'd the Saxons, 



18 KING HENRY THE FIFTH " [act i 

There left behind and settled certain French; 

Who, holding in disdain the German women 

For some dishonest manners of their life, 

Establish'd then this law, to wit, no female 50 

Should be inheritrix in Salique land: 

Which Salique, as I said, 'twixt Elbe and Sala, 

Is at this day in Germany call'd Meisen. 

Then doth it well appear the Salique law 

Was not devised for the realm of France; 

Nor did the French possess the Salique land 

Until four hundred one and twenty years 

After defunction of King Pharamond, 

Idly suppos'd the foimder of this law, 

Who died within the year of our redemption 60 

Four hundred twenty-six; and Charles the Great 

Subdu'd the Saxons, and did seat the French 

Beyond the river Sala, in the year 

Eight hundred five. Besides, their writers say, 

King Pepin, which deposed Childeric, 

Did, as heir general, being descended 

Of Blithild, which was daughter to King Clothair, 

Make claim and title to the crown of France. 

Hugh Capet also, who usurp'd the crown 

Of Charles the Duke of Lorraine, sole heir male 70 

Of the true line and stock of Charles the Great, 

To find^'* his title with some shows of truth. 

Though, in pure truth, it was corrupt and naught, 

Convey' d himself as^ heir to the Lady Lingare, 

Daughter to Charlemain^, who was the son 

To Lewis the Emperor, and Lewis the son 

Of Charles the Great. Also King Lewis the Tenth, 

Who was sole heir to the usurper Capet, 

Could not keep quiet in his conscience, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 19 

Wearing the crown of France, till satisfi'd 80 

That fair Queen Isabel, his grandmother. 

Was lineal of the Lady Ermengare, 

Daughter to Charles the foresaid Duke of Lorraine, 

By the which marriage the line of Charles the Great 

Was re-united to the crown of France. 

So that, as clear as is the summer's sun, 

King Pepin's tide and Hugh Capet's claim, 

King Lewis his satisfaction, all appear 

To hold in right and title of the female. 

So do the kings of France unto this day; 90 

Howbeit they would hold up this Salique law 

To bar your highness claiming from the female. 

And rather choose to hide them in a net 

Than amply to imbar^ their crooked titles 

Usurp'd from you and your progenitors. 

K. Hen. May I with right and conscience make this claim? 

Cant. The sin upon my head, dread sovereign! 
For in the book of Numbers is it writ. 
When the man dies, let the inheritance 
Descend unto the daughter. Gracious lord, 100 

Stand for your own; unwind your bloody flag; 
Look back into your mighty ancestors; 
Go, my dread lord, to your great-grandsire's tomb. 
From whom you claim; invoke his warlike spirit, 
And your great-uncle's, Edward the Black Prince, 
Who on the French ground play'd a tragedy*^. 
Making defeat on the full power of France, 
Whiles his most mighty father on a hill 
Stood smiling to behold his lion's whelp 
Forage in blood of French nobility. no 

O noble English, that could entertain 
With half their forces the full pride of France 



20 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

And let another half stand laughing by, 

All out of work and cold for action! 
Ely. Awake remembrance of these valiant dead, 

And with your puissant^ arm renew their feats. 

You are their heir; you sit upon their throne; 

The blood and courage that renowned them 

Runs in your veins; and my thrice-puissant liege 

Is in the very May-morn of his youth, 120 

Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises. 
Exe. Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth 

Do all expect that you should rouse yourself, 

As did the former Hons of your blood. 
West. They know your grace hath cause and means and 
might; 

So hath your highness; never King of England 

Had nobles richer and more loyal subjects, 

Whose hearts have left their bodies here in England 

And he paviHon'd in the fields of France. 
Cant. O, let their bodies follow, my dear liege, 130 

With blood and sword and fire to win your right; 

In aid whereof we of the spiritualty 

Will raise your highness such a mighty sum 

As never did the clergy at one time 

Bring in to any of your ancestors. 
K. Hen. We must not only arm to invade the French, 

But lay down our proportions^ to defend 

Against the Scot, who will make road upon us 

With all advantages. 
Cant. They of those marches^, gracious sovereign, 140 

Shall be a wall sufficient to defend 

Our inland from the pilfering borderers. 
K. Hen. We do not mean the coursing snatchers^ only. 

But fear the main intendment of the Scot, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 21 

Who hath been stilP^ a giddy^^ neighbour to us; 

For you shall read that my great-grandfather 

Never went with his forces into France, 

But that the Scot on his unfurnish'd kingdom 

Came pouring, like the tide into a breach. 

With ample and brim fullness of his force, 150 

Galling the gleaned land with hot assays, 

Girding with grievous siege castles and towns; 

That England, being empty of defence, 

Hath shook and trembled at the ill neighbourhood. 

Cant. She hath been then more fear'd^^ than harm'd, my 
liege; 
For hear her but exampl'd by herself: 
When all her chivalry hath been in France, 
And she a mourning widow of her nobles. 
She hath herself not only well defended 
But taken and impounded as a stray 160 

The King of Scots^; whom she did send to France, 
To fill King Edward's fame with prisoner kings. 
And make her chronicle as rich with praise 
As is the ooze and bottom of the sea 
With sunken wreck and sumless treasuries. 

West. But there's a saying very old and true, 

"If that you will France win, 
Then with Scotland first begin; " 

For once the eagle England being in prey^, 
To her unguarded nest the weasel Scot 170 

Comes sneaking and so sucks her princely eggs, 
Playing the mouse in absence of the cat, 
To tear and havoc more than she can eat. 
Exe. It follows then the cat must stay at home; 
Yet that is but a curs' d necessity, 



22 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

Since we have locks to safeguard necessaries, 
And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves. 
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad, 
The advised head defends itself at home; 
For government, though high and low and lower, i8o 
Put into parts, doth keep in one consent^^, 
Congreeing^ in a full and natural close^'^, 
Like music^. 
Cant. Therefore doth heaven divide 

The state of man in divers functions. 

Setting endeavour in continual motion; 

To which is fixed, as an aim or butt''^, 

Obedience; for so work the honey-bees. 

Creatures that by a rule in nature teach 

The act of order to a peopl'd kingdom. 

They have a king and officers of sorts; 190 

Where some, like magistrates, correct at home, 

Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad. 

Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings. 

Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds, 

Which pillage they with merry march bring home 

To the tent-royal of their emperor; 

Who, busi'd in his majesty, surveys 

The singing masons building roofs of gold, 

The civil citizens kneading up the honey. 

The poor mechanic porters crowding in 200 

Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate. 

The sad-ey'd justice, with his surly hum, 

Delivering o'er to executors pale 

The lazy yawning drone. I this infer, 

That many things, having full reference 

To one consent, may work contrariously. 

As many arrows, loosed several ways^, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 23 

Come to one mark; as many ways meet in one town; 
As many fresh streams meet in one salt sea; 
As many lines close in the dial's centre; 210 

So may a thousand actions, once afoot, 
End in one purpose, and be all well borne 
Without defeat. Therefore to France, my liege. 
Divide your happy England into four; 
Whereof take you one quarter into France, 
And you withal shall make all Gallia shake. 
If we, with thrice such powers left at home, 
Cannot defend our own doors from the dog. 
Let us be worri'd and our nation lose 
The name of hardiness" and policy. 220 

K. Hen. Call in the messengers sent from the Dauphin". 

[Exeunt some Attendants. 
Now are we well resolv'd; and, by God's help, 
And yours, the noble sinews of our power, 
France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe. 
Or break it all to pieces. Or^ there we'll sit, 
RuHng in large and ample empery 
O'er France and all her almost kingly dukedoms, 
Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn, 
Tombless, with no remembrance over them; 
Either our history shall with full mouth 230 

Speak freely of our acts, or else our grave, 
Like Turkish mute, shall have a tongueless mouth. 
Not worshipp'd with a waxen epitaph^. 

Enter Ambassadors of France. 

Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure 
Of our fair cousin^ Dauphin; for we hear 
Your greeting is from him, not from the King. 
First Amb. May 't please your majesty to give us leave 



24 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

Freely to render what we have in charge; 

Or shall we sparingly show you far off 

The Dauphin's meaning and our embassy? 240 

K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a Christian king; 
Unto whose grace our passion is as subject 
As are our wretches fetter' d in our prisons. 
Therefore with frank and with uncurbed plainness 
Tell us the Dauphin's mind. 

First Amh. Thus, then, in few. 

Your highness, lately sending into France, 
Did claim some certain dukedoms, in the right 
Of your great predecessor. King Edward the Third; 
In answer of which claim, the prince our master 
Says that you savour too much of your youth, 250 

And bids you be advis'd there's nought in France 
That can be with a nimble galliard^ won; 
You cannot revel into dukedoms there. 
He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit, 
This tun° of treasure; and, in heu of this. 
Desires you let the dukedoms that you claim 
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin speaks. 

K. Hen. What treasure, uncle? 

Exe. Tennis-balls, my liege. 

K. Hen. We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us; 
His present and your pains we thank you for. 260 

When we have match' d our rackets to these balls, 
We will, in France, by God's grace, play a set 
Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard^"*. 
Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler 
That all the courts of France will be disturb'd 
With chaces"^. And we understand him well, 
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days^, 
Not measuring what use we made of them. 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 25 

We never valu'd this poor seat of England; 
And therefore, living hence, did give ourself 270 

To barbarous license; as 'tis ever common 
That men are merriest when they are from home; 
But tell the Dauphin I will keep my state. 
Be like a king and show my sail of greatness 
When I do rouse me in my throne of France. 
For that^ I have laid by my majesty, 
And plodded like a man for working-days; 
But I will rise there with so full a glory 
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France, 
Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us. 280 

And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his 
Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones^; and his soul 
Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance 
That shall fly with them; for many a thousand widows 
Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands; 
. Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down; 
And some are yet ungotten and unborn 
That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn. 
But this Hes all within the will of God, 
To whom I do appeal; and in whose name 290 

Tell you the Dauphin I am coming on, 
To venge me as I may, and to put forth 
My rightful hand in a well-hallow' d cause. 
So get you hence in peace; and tell the Dauphin 
His jest will savour but of shallow wit, 
When thousands weep more than did laugh at it. 
Convey them with safe conduct. Fare you well. 

[Exeunt Ambassadors. 

Exe. This was a merry message. 

K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. 

Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour 300 



26 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act i 

That may give furtherance to our expedition; 
For we have now no thought in us but France, 
Save those to God, that run before our business. 
Therefore let our proportions for these wars 
Be soon collected, and all things thought upon 
That may with reasonable swiftness add 
More feathers to our wings; for, God before^, 
We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door. 
Therefore let every man now task his thought, 
That this fair action may on foot be brought. 310 

[Exeunt. Flourish. 



PRO.] 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



27 




KING HENRY V 



ACT II 



PROLOGUE 



Enter Chorus. 



Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire, 
And silken dalliance^ in the wardrobe lies; 
Now thrive' the armourers, and honour's thought 
Reigns solely in the breast of every man; 
They sell the pasture now to buy the horse, 
Following the mirror of all Christian kings, 
With winged heels, as English Mercuries^; 
For now sits Expectation in the air, 
And hides a sword^ from hilts unto the point 



28 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act n 

With crowns imperial, crowns and coronets, lo 

Promis'd to Harry and his followers. 

The French, ad vis' d by good intelligence 

Of this most dreadful preparation, 

Shake in their fear, and with pale policy 

Seek to divert the English purposes. 

O England! model to thy inward greatness, 

Like little body with a mighty heart. 

What mightst thou do, that honour would thee do. 

Were all thy children kind and natural! 

But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out 20 

A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills 

With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men. 

One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second, 

Henry Lord Scroop of Masham, and the third. 

Sir Thomas Grey, knight, of Northumberland, 

Have, for the gilt^ of France, — O guilt indeed! — 

Confirm' d conspiracy with fearful France; 

And by their hands this grace of kings must die. 

If hell and treason hold their promises. 

Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton. 30 

Linger your patience on; and we'll digest 

The abuse of distance, force a play. 

The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed; 

The King is set from London; and the scene 

Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton. 

There is the playhouse now, there must you sit; 

And thence to France shall we convey you safe, 

And bring you back, charming the narrow seas 

To give you gentle pass; for, if we may, 

We'll not offend one stomach with our play. 40 

But, till the King come forth, and not till then. 

Unto Southampton do we shift our scene. [Exit. 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 29 

Scene I. London. A street. 
Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph. 

Bard. Well met, Corporal Nym". 

Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. 

Bard. What, are Ancient^ Pistol and you friends yet? 

Nym. For my part, I care not. I say little; but when 
time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be 
as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink and hold 
out mine iron. It is a simple one; but what though? 
it will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another 
man's sword will; and there's an end. 9 

Bard. I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and 
we'll be all three sworn brothers^ to France^. Let it 
be so, good Corporal Nym. 

Nym. Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain 
of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as 
I may. That is my rest^, that is the rendezvous^ of it. 

Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell 
Quickly; and certainly she did you wrong, for you were 
troth-plight to her. 18 

Nym. I cannot tell: things must be as they may; men may 
sleep, and they may have their throats about them at 
that time; and some say knives have edges. It must be 
as it may: though patience be a tired mare, yet she will 
plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell. 

Enter Pistol and Hostess. 

Bard. Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife. Good cor- 
poral, be patient here. How now, mine host Pistol! 



30 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act n 

Pist. Base tike^, callest thou me host? 

Now, by this hand, I swear, I scorn the lerm; 

Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers. 
Host. No, by my troth, not longl \Nym and Pistol draw.] 

well a day, Lady^, if he be not drawn^ now! we shall 
see wilful murder committed. 31 

Bard. Good Heutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here. 

Nym. Pish! 

Pist. Pish for thee, Iceland dog^! thou prick-eared cur of 
Iceland! 

Host. Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up 
your sword. 

Nym. Will you shog^ off? I would have you solus. 

Pist. "Solus," egregious dog? O viper vile! 

The "solus" in thy most mervailous face; 40 

The "solus" in thy teeth, and in thy throat. 
And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy^, 
And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth! 

1 do retort the "solus" in thy bowels; 
For I can take, and Pistol's^ cock is up, 
And flashing fire will follow. 

Nym. I am not Barbason^; you cannot conjure me. I 
have an humour to knock you indifferently well. If 
you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with 
my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk 
off, I would prick your guts a little, in good terms, as 
I may; and that's the humour of it. 52 

Pist. O braggart vile and damned furious wight! 
The grave doth gape, and doting death is near; 
Therefore exhale^. 

Bard. Hear me, hear me what I say: he that strikes the 
first stroke, I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am a soldier. 

[Draws. 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 31 

Pist. An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate. 

Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give; 

Thy spirits are most talP^. 60 

Nym. I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms; 

that is the humour of it. 
Pist. ^^ Couple a gorge^V 

That is the word. I thee defy again. 

hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get? 
No; to the spitaP go. 

And from the powdering-tub^ of infamy 
Fetch forth the lazar^ kite^ of Cressid's kind, 
Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse. 

1 have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly. 70 
For the only she; and — pauca, there's enough. 

Go to. 

Enter the Boy. 

Boy. Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and 
you, hostess; he is very sick, and would to bed. Good 
Bardolph, put thy face between his sheets, and do the 
ofhce of a warming-pan^. Faith, he's very ill. 

Bard. Away, you rogue! 

Host. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding^ one 
of these days. The King has killed his heart. Good 
husband, come home presently. 80 

[Exeunt Hostess and Boy. 

Bard. Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to 
France together. Why the devil should we keep knives 
to cut one another's throats? 

Pist. Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on! 

Nym. You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at 
betting? 

Pist. Base is the slave that pays. 



32 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

Nym. That now I will have; that's the "humour of it. 
Pist, As manhood shall compound^: push home. 

[They draw. 
Bard. By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I'll 

kill him; by this sword, I will. 91 

Pist. Sword is an oath^, and oaths must have their course. 
Bard. Corporal Nym, an° thou wilt be friends, be friends; 

an thou wilt not, why, then be enemies with me too. 

Prithee, put up. 
Nym. I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting ? 
Pist. A noble°^ shalt thou have, and present pay; 

And liquor likewise will I give to thee, 

And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood. 

I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me; 100 

Is not this just? for I shall sutler be 

Unto the camp, and profits will accrue. 

Give me thy hand. 
Nym. I shall have my noble? 
Pist. In cash most justly paid. 
Nym. Well, then, that's the humour of it. 

Re-enter Hostess. 

Host. As ever you came of women, come in quickly to Sir 
John. Ah, poor heart! he is so shaked of a burning 
quotidian tertian^, that it is most lamentable to behold. 
Sweet men, come to him. no 

Nym. The King hath run bad humours on the knight; 
that's the even of it. 

Pist. Nym, thou hast spoke the right; 
His heart is fracted and corroborate. 

Nym. The King is a good king; but it must be as it may; 
he passes some humours and careers^. 

Pist. Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins, we will live. 

[Exeunt, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 33 

Scene II. Southampton. A council-chamber. 
Enter Exeter, Bedford, and Westmoreland. 

Bed. 'Fore God, his grace is bold, to trust these traitors. 

Exe. They shall be apprehended by and by. 

West. How smooth and even they do bear themselves! 
As if allegiance in their bosoms sat, 
Crowned with faith and constant loyalty. 

Bed. The King hath note of all that they intend, 
By interception which they dream not of. 

Exe. Nay, but the man that was his bedfellow. 

Whom he hath duU'd and cloy'd with gracious favours, 
That he should, for a foreign purse, so sell lo 

His sovereign's life to death and treachery! 

Trumpets sound. Enter King Henry, Scroop, Cambridge, 
Grey, and Attendants. 

K. Hen. Now sits the wind fair, and we will aboard. 

My Lord of Cambridge, and my kind Lord of Masham, 
And you, my gentle knight, give me your thoughts. 
Think you not that the powers we bear with us 
Will cut their passage through the force of France, 
Doing the execution and the act 
For which we have in head assembl'd them? 

Scroop. No doubt, my Hege, if each man do his best. 

K. Hen. I doubt not that; since we are well persuaded 20 
We carry not a heart with us from hence 
That grows not in a fair consent with ours, 
Nor leave not one behind that doth not wish 
Success and conquest to attend on us. 

Cam. Never was monarch better fear'd and lov'd 



34 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

Than is your majesty. There's not, I think, a subject 
That sits in heart-grief and uneasiness 
Under the sweet shade of your government. 

Grey. True; those that were your father's enemies 

Have steep' d their galls in honey, and do serve you 30 
With hearts create of duty and of zeal. 

K. Hen. We therefore have great cause of thankfulness; 
And shall forget the ofhce of our hand, 
Sooner than quittance of desert and merit 
According to the weight and worthiness. 

Scroop. So service shall with steeled sinews toil. 
And labour shall refresh itself with hope, 
To do your grace incessant services. 

K. Hen. We judge no less. Uncle of Exeter, 

Enlarge the man committed yesterday, 40 

That rail'd against our person. We consider 
It was excess of wine that set him on; 
And on his more advice^ we pardon him. 

Scroop. That's mercy, but too much security. 
Let him be punish' d, sovereign, lest example 
Breed, by his sufferance, more of such a kind. 

K. Hen. O, let us yet be merciful. 

Cam. So may your highness, and yet pimish too. 

Grey. Sir, 

You show great mercy, if you give him life, 50 

After the taste of much correction. 

K. Hen. Alas, your too much love and care of me 
Are heavy orisons^ 'gainst this poor wretch! 
If little faults, proceeding on distemper. 
Shall not be wink'd at, how shall we stretch our eye 
When capital crimes^, chew'd, swallow'd, and digested, 
Appear before us? We'll yet enlarge that man, 
Though Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey, in their dear^ care 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



35 



And tender preservation of our person, 

Would have him punish'd. And now to our French 

causes : ^ 

Who are the late commissioners? 
Cam. I one, my lord: 

Your highness bade me ask for it to-day"". 
Scroop. So did you me, my hege. 
Grey. And I, my royal sovereign. 

K. Hen. Then, Richard Earl of Cambridge, there is yours; 
There yours, Lord Scroop of Masham; and, sir 

knight, 
Grey of Northumberland, this same is yours: 
Read them, and know I know your worthiness. 
My Lord of Westmoreland, and uncle Exeter, 70 

We wiU aboard to-night. Why, how now, gentlemen! 
What see you in those papers that you lose 
So much complexion? Look ye, how they change! 
Their cheeks are paper. Why, what read you there, 
That hath so cowarded and chas'd your blood 
Out of appearance? 

^^^- I do confess my fault; 

And do submit me to your highness' mercy. 

Grey. ) 

Scroop, j ^^ ^^'""^ "^^ ^^1 ^PP^^l- 

K. Hen. The mercy that was quick^ in us but late, 

By your own counsel is suppress'd and kill'd. 80 

You must not dare, for shame, to talk of mercy; 

For your own reasons turn into your bosoms, 

As dogs upon their masters, worrying you. 

See you, my princes and my noble peers. 

These English monsters! My Lord of Cambridge 

here. 
You know how apt our love was to accord 



36 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

To furnish him with all appertinents 

Belonging to his honour; and this man 

Hath, for few light crowns, lightly conspir'd, 

And sworn unto the practices^ of France, 90 

To kill us here in Hampton: to the which 

This knight, no less for bounty bound to us 

Than Cambridge is, hath likewise sworn. But, O 

What shall I say to thee. Lord Scroop? thou cruel, 

Ingrateful, savage and inhuman creature! 

Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels. 

That knew'st the very bottom of my soul. 

That almost mightst have coin'd me into gold, 

Wouldst thou have practis'd on me for thy use! 

May it be possible, that foreign hire 100 

Could out of thee extract one spark of evil 

That might annoy my finger? 't is so strange, 

That, though the truth of it stands off as gross 

As black and white, my eye will scarcely see it. 

Treason and murder ever kept together. 

As two yoke-devils sworn to cither's purpose, 

Working so grossly in a natural cause, 

That admiration^ did not hoop at them; 

But thou, 'gainst all proportion, didst bring in 

Wonder to wait on treason and on murder; no 

And whatsoever cunning fiend it was 

That wrought upon thee so preposterously 

Hath got the voice^^ in hell for excellence. 

All other devils that suggest by treasons 

Do botch and bungle up damnation 

With patches, colours, and with forms being fetch'd 

From glistering^ semblances of piety; 

But he that temper'd thee bade thee stand up, 

Gave thee no instance why thou shouldst do treason, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 37 

Unless to dub thee with the name of traitor. 120 

If that same dem-on that hath gull'd thee thus 

Should with his lion gait walk the whole world, 

He might return to vasty Tartar^ back, 

And tell the legions "I can never win 

A soul so easy as that Englishman's." 

O, how hast thou with jealousy infected 

The sweetness of affiance! Show men dutiful? 

Why, so didst thou; seem they grave and learned? 

Why, so didst thou; come they of noble family? 

Why, so didst thou; seem they religious? 130 

Why, so didst thou; or are they spare in diet, 

Free from gross passion or of mirth or anger, 

Constant in spirit, not swerving with the blood°, 

Garnish'd and deck'd in modest complement^. 

Not working with the eye without the ear. 

And but in purged^ judgment trusting neither? 

Such and so finely bolted^ didst thou seem. 

And thus thy fall hath left a kind of blot. 

To mark the full-fraught man and best indu'd. 

With some suspicion. I will weep for thee; 140 

For this revolt of thine, methinks, is like 

Another fall of man^. Their faults are open; 

Arrest them to the answer of the law; 

And God acquit them of their practices^^! 

Exe. I arrest thee of high treason, by the name of Richard 
Earl of Cambridge. 

I arrest thee of high treason, by the name of Henry Lord 
Scroop of Masham. 

I arrest thee of high treason, by the name of Thomas 
Grey, knight, of Northumberland. 150 

Scroop. Our purposes God justly hath discover'd; 
And I repent my fault more than my death; 



38 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

Which I beseech your highness to forgive, 
Akhough my body pay the price of it. 

Cam. For me, the gold of France did not seduce, 
Akhough I did admit it as a motive 
The sooner to effect what I intended; 
But God be thanked for prevention, 
Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoice, 
Beseeching God and you to pardon me. i6o 

Grey. Never did faithful subject more rejoice 
At the discovery of most dangerous treason 
Than I do at this hour joy o'er myself, 
Prevented from a damned enterprise. 
My fault, but not my body, pardon, sovereign. 

K. Hen. God quit you in his mercy 1 Hear your sentence. 
You have conspir'd against our royal person, 
Join'd with an enemy proclaim'd, and from his coffers 
Receiv'd the golden earnest" of our death; 
Wherein you would have sold your king to slaughter. 
His princes and his peers to servitude, 171 

His subjects to oppression and contempt. 
And his whole kingdom into desolation. 
Touching our person seek we no revenge; 
But we our kingdom's safety must so tender. 
Whose ruin you have sought, that to her laws 
We do deliver you. Get you therefore hence, 
Poor miserable wretches, to your death; 
The taste whereof, God of his mercy give 
You patience to endure, and true repentance 180 

Of all your dear offences! Bear them hence. 

\Exeunt Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey, guarded. 
Now, lords, for France; the enterprise whereof 
Shall be to you as us like glorious. 
We doubt not of a fair and lucky war, 



SCENE III] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 39 

Since God so graciously hath brought to light 

This dangerous treason lurking in our way 

To hinder our beginnings. We doubt not now 

But every rub° is smoothed on our way. 

Then forth, dear countrymen; let us deliver 

Our puissance into the hand of God, 190 

Putting it straight in expedition. 

Cheerly to sea; the signs of war advance^; 

No king of England, if not king of France. [Exeunt. 



Scene III. London. Before a tavern. 
Enter Pistol, Hostess, Nym, Bardolph, and Boy. 

Host. Prithee, honey-sweet husband, let me bring thee to 
Staines. 

Pist. No; for my manly heart doth yearn. 

Bardolph, be blithe; Nym, rouse thy vaunting veins; 
Boy, bristle thy courage up; for Falstaff he is dead, 
And we must yearn therefore. 

Bard. Would I were with him, wheresome'er he is, either 
in heaven or in hell I 8 

Host. Nay, sure, he's not in hell; he's in Arthur's bosom, 
if ever man went to Arthur's bosom. A'° made a finer 
end, and went away an it had been any christom^ child. 
A' parted even just between twelve and one, even at 
the turning o' the tide. For after I saw him fumble 
with the sheets, and play with flowers, and smile upon 
his fingers' ends, I knew there was but one way; for his 
nose was as sharp as a pen, and a' babbled of green 
, fields^ ''How now, Sir John!" quoth I, "what, man! 
be o' good cheer." So a' cried out, ''God, God, God!" 



40 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act n 

three or four times. Now I, to comfort him, bid him 
a' should not think of God; I hoped there was no need 
to trouble himself with any such thoughts yet. So a' 
bade me lay more clothes on his feet; I put my hand 
into the bed and felt them, and they were as cold as any 
stone; then I felt to his knees, and they were as cold as 
any stone, and so up'ard and up'ard, and all was as 
cold as any stone. 

Nym. They say he cried out of^ sack. 

Host. Ay, that a' did. 

Bard. And of^ women. 

Host. Nay, that a' did not. 30 

Boy. Yes, that a' did; and said they were devils incarnate. 

Host. A' could never abide carnation; 'twas a colour he 
never liked. 

Boy. Do you not remember, a' saw a flea stick upon Bar- 
dolph's nose, and a' said it was a black souP burning 
in hell-fire? 

Bard. Well, the fuel is gone that maintained that fire; that's 
all the riches I got in his service. 

Nym. Shall we shog ? the King will be gone f r®m Southampton. 

Pist. Come, let's away. My love, give me thy lips. 40 
Look to my chattels and my movables; 
Let senses rule; the word is "Pitch and PayJ^"; 
Trust none; 

For oaths are straws, men's faiths are wafer-cakes. 
And hold-fast is the only dog, my duck; 
Therefore, Caveto^ be thy counsellor. 
Go, clear thy crystals^. Yoke-fellows in arms, 
Let us to France; like horse-leeches, my boys, 
To suck, to suck, the very blood to suck! 

Boy. And that's but unwholesome food, they say. 50 

Pist. Touch her soft mouth, and march. 



SCENE IV] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 41 

Bard. Farewell, hostess. [Kissing her. 

Nym. I cannot kiss, that is the humour of it; but, adieu. 

Pist. Let housewifery appear; keep close, I thee command. 

Host. Farewell; adieu. [Exeunt. 



Scene IV. France. The King's Palace, 

Flourish. Enter the French King, the Dauphin, the Dukes 
OF Berri and Bretagne, the Constable, and others. 

Fr. King. Thus comes the English with full power upon us; 
And more than carefully it us concerns 
To answer royally in our defences. 
Therefore the Dukes of Berri and of Bretagne, 
Of Brabant and of Orleans, shall make forth, 
And you, Prince Dauphin, with all swift dispatch. 
To line°3 and new repair our towns of war 
With men of courage and with means defendant; 
For England his approaches makes as fierce 
As waters to the sucking of a gulf°^. lo 

It fits us then to be as provident 
As fear may teach us out of late examples 
Left by the fatal and neglected English 
Upon our fields. 

Dau. My most redoubted father, 

It is most meet we arm us 'gainst the foe; 
For peace itself should not so dull a kingdom. 
Though war nor no known quarrel were in question, 
But that defences, musters, preparations. 
Should be maintain'd, assembl'd and collected, 
As were a war in expectation. 20 

Therefore, I say 'tis meet we all go forth 



42 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

To view the sick and feeble parts of France. 

And let us do it with no show of fear; 

No, with no more than if we heard that England 

Were busi'd with a Whitsun morris-dance^; 

For, my good liege, she is so idly king'd, 

Her sceptre so fantastically borne 

By a vain, giddy, shallow, humorous youth, 

That fear attends her not. 

Con. O peace, Prince Dauphin! 

You are too much mistaken in this king. 30 

Question your grace the late ambassadors, 

With what great state he heard their embassy, 

How well suppli'd with noble counsellors. 

How modest in exception^, and withal 

How terrible in constant resolution. 

And you shall find his vanities forespent 

Were but the outside of the Roman Brutus, 

Covering discretion with coat of folly^; 

As gardeners do with ordure hide those roots 

That shall first spring and be most delicate. 40 

Dau. Well, 't is not so, my Lord High Constable; 
But though we think it so, it is no matter. 
In cases of defence 't is best to weigh 
The enemy more mighty than he seems; 
So the proportions of defence are fiU'd, 
Which of a weak and niggardly projection 
Doth, like a miser, spoil his coat with scanting 
A Httle cloth. 

Fr. King. Think we King Harry strong; 

And, princes, look you strongly arm to meet him. 
The kindred of him hath been flesh'd^ upon us; 50 
And he is bred out of that bloody strain 
That haunted us in our familiar paths. 



SCENE IV] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 43 

Witness our too much memorable shame 

When Cressy^ battle fatally was struck, 

And all our princes captiv'd by the hand 

Of that black name, Edward, Black Prince of Wales; 

Whiles that his mountain sire, on mountain standing, 

Up in the air, crown'd with the golden sun, 

Saw his heroical seed, and smil'd to see him, 

Mangle the work of nature and deface 60 

The patterns that by God and by French fathers 

Had twenty years been made. This is a stem 

Of that victorious stock; and let us fear 

The native mightiness and fate of him. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Mess. Ambassadors from Harry King of England 

Do crave admittance to your majesty. 
Fr. King. We'll give them present audience. Go, and 

bring them. [Exeunt Messenger and certain Lords. 

You see this chase^ is hotly follow'd, friends. 
Dau. Turn head, and stop pursuit; for coward dogs 

Most spend their mouths when what they seem to 
threaten 70 

Runs far before them. Good my sovereign. 

Take up the English short, and let them know 

Of what a monarchy you are the head. 

Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin 

As self-neglecting. 

Re-enter Lords, with Exeter and train. 

Fr. King. From our brother England? 

Exe. From him; and thus he greets your majesty. 
He wills you, in the name of God Almighty, 



44 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

That you divest yourself, and lay apart 

The borrow'd glories that by gift of heaven, 

By law of nature and of nations, 'long 80 

To him and to his heirs; namely, the crown 

And all wide-stretch 'd honours that pertain 

By custom and the ordinance of times 

Unto the crown of France. That you may know 

'Tis no sinister nor no awkward claim, 

Pick'd from the worm-holes of long-vanish'd days, 

Nor from the dust of old oblivion rak'd, 

He sends you this most memorable line, 

In every branch truly demonstrative; 

Willing you overlook this pedigree. 90 

And when you find him evenly^ deriv'd 

From his most fam'd of famous ancestors, 

Edward the Third, he bids you then resign 

Your crown and kingdom, indirectly held 

From him the native and true challenger^. 

Fr, King. Or else what follows? 

Exe. Bloody constraint; for if you hide the crown 
Even in your hearts, there will he rake for it. 
Therefore in fierce tempest is he coming. 
In thunder and in earthquake, like a Jove, 100 

That, if requiring fail, he will compel; 
And bids you, in the bowels of the Lord% 
Deliver up the crown, and to take mercy 
On the poor souls for whom this hungry war 
Opens his vasty jaws; and on your head 
Turning the widows' tears, the orphans' cries. 
The dead men's blood, the pining maidens' groans. 
For husbands, fathers, and betrothed lovers, 
That shall be swallow'd in this controversy. 
This is his claim, his threatening, and my message; no 



SCENE IV] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 45 

Unless the Dauphin be in presence here, 
To whom expressly I bring greeting too. 

Fr. King. For us, we will consider of this further. 
To-morrow shall you bear our full intent 
Back to our brother England. 

DatL For the Dauphin, 

I stand here for him. What to him from England? 

Exe. Scorn and defiance; slight regard, contempt, 
And any thing that may not misbecome 
The mighty sender, doth he prize you at: 
Thus says my king. An if your father's highness 120 
Do not, in grant of all demands at large, 
Sweeten the bitter mock you sent his majesty, 
He'll call you to so hot an answer of it, 
That caves and womby vaultages of France^ 
Shall chide your trespass and return your mock 
In second accent of his ordinance^^. 

Dau. Say, if my father render fair return, 
It is against my will; for I desire 
Nothing but odds^^ with England. To that end. 
As matching to his youth and vanity, 130 

I did present him with the Paris balls. 

Exe. He'll make your Paris Louvre shake for it. 
Were it the mistress-court^ of mighty Europe. 
And be assur'd you'll find a difference. 
As we his subjects have in wonder found. 
Between the promise of his greener days 
And these he masters now. Now he weighs time 
Even to the utmost grain; that you shall read 
In your own losses, if he stay in France. 

Fr. King. To-morrow shall you know our mind at full. 140 

Exe. Dispatch us with all speed, lest that our king 
Come here himself to question our delay; 



46 ^KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act ii 

For he is footed in this land already. 
Fr. King. You shall be soon dispatch'd with fair conditions. 
A night is but small breath and little pause 
To answer matters of this consequence. 

[Flourish. Exeunt. 




KING CHARLES VI OF FRANCE 



PRO.] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 47 



ACT III 

PROLOGUE 

Enter Chorus. 

Chor. Thus with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies 
In motion of no less celerity 

Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen 
The well-appointed king at Hampton pier 
Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet 
With silken streamers the young Phcebus^ fanning. 
Play with your fancies, and in them behold 
Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing; 
Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give 
To sounds confus'd; behold the threaden sails, lo 

Borne with the invisible and creeping wind, 
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea, 
Breasting the lofty surge. O, do but think 
You stand upon the rivage^ and behold 
A city on the inconstant billows dancing; 
For so appears this fleet majestical. 
Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow! 
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy. 
And leave your England, as dead midnight still, 
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women, 20 
Either past or not arriv'd to pith and puissance; 
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich' d 
With one appearing hair, that will not follow 
These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France? 
, Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege; 
Behold the ordinance on their carriages, 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



[act in 



With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur. . 

Suppose the ambassador from the French comes back; 

Tells Harry that the King doth offer him 

Katharine his daughter, and with her, to dowry, 30 

Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms. 

The offer Hkes not; and the nimble gunner 

With linstock now the devilish cannon touches, 

[AlarumP^, and chambers^ go off. 
And down goes all before them. Still be kind, 
And eke out our performance with your mind. [Exit. 




A STREET m HAILFLEUR 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 49 



Scene Io France. Before Harfleur. 

t 

Alarum. Enter King Henry, Exeter, Bedford, Glouces- 
ter, and Soldiers, with scaling-ladders. 

K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once 
more. 
Or close the wall up with our English dead! 
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man 
As modest stillness and humility; 
But when the blast of war blows in our ears, 
Then imitate the action of the tiger; 
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood^. 
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage. 
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; 
Let it pry through the portage^ of the head lo 

Like the brass cannon^; "let the brow o'erwhelm it 
As fearfully as doth a galled rock 
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, 
Swill'd*^ with the wild and wasteful ocean. 
Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide, 
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit 
To his full height. On, on, you noblest EngHsh, 
Whose blood is fet° from fathers of war-proof^! 
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, 
Have in these parts from morn till even fought 20 

And sheath' d their swords for lack of argument'^^l 
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest 
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you! 
Be copy now to men of grosser blood, 
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeomen, 
Whose Hmbs were made in England, show us here 



50 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act m 

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear 

That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt not; 

For there is none of you so mean and base, 

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. 30 

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, 

Straining upon the start^. The game's afoot; 

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge 

Cry "God for Harry, England, and Saint George^!" 

[Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off. 



Scene II. The same. 
Enter Nym, Bardolph, Pistol, and Boy. 

Bard. On, on, on, "on, onl to the breach, to the breach; 

Nym. Pray thee, corporal, stay, the knocks are too hot! 
and, for mine own part, I have not a case^ of lives. The 
humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain-song^ of it. 

Pist. The plain-song is most just, for humours do abound: 

Knocks go and come; God's vassals droop and die; 
And sword and shield. 
In bloody field, 
Doth win immortal fame. 

Boy. Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would 
give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety. 11 

Pist. And I: 

If wishes would prevail with me. 
My purpose should not fail with me, 
But thither would I hie. 

Boy. As duly, but not as truly, 

As bird doth sing on bough. 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 51 

Enter Fluellen. 

Flu. Up to the breach, you dogsl avaunt, you cuUions! 

[Driving them forward. 
Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould 1 

Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage, 20 

Abate thy rage, great duke! 

Good bawcock^, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweet chuck^^! 
Nym. These be good humours! your honour wins bad 
humours. [Exeunt all hut Boy. 

Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swash- 
ers. I am boy to them all three; but all they three, though 
they would serve me, could not be man^ to me; for in- 
deed three such antics do not amount to a man. For 
Bardolph, he is white-livered and red-faced; by the 
means whereof a' faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, 
he hath a kilHng tongue and a quiet sword; by the means 
whereof a' breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. 
For Nym, he hath heard that men of few words are the 
best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, 
lest a' should be thought a coward. But his few bad 
words are matched with as few good deeds; for a' never 
broke any man's head but his own, and that was against 
a post when he was drunk. They will steal any thing, 
and call it purchase"". Bardolph stole a lute-case, bore 
it twelve leagues, and sold it for three half-pence"". Nym 
and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching, and in 
Calais they stole a fire-shovel; I knew by that piece of 
service the men would carry coals'". They would have 
me as famiHar with men's pockets as their gloves or 
their handkerchers ; which makes much against my man- 
hood, if I should take from another's pocket to put into 
mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs'". I must 



52 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

leave them, and seek some better service; their villany 
goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must 
cast it up. [Exit. 50 

Re-enter Fluellen, Gov^er following. 

Gow. Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the 
mines; the Dlike of Gloucester would speak with you. 

Flu. To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not so good to 
come to the mines; for, look you, the mines is not ac- 
cording to the disciplines of the war; the concavities of 
it is not sufficient; for, look you, the athversary, you 
may discuss unto the Duke, look you, is digt himself 
four yard under the countermines. By Cheshu, I think 
a' will plow up all, if there is not better directions. 

Gow. The Duke of Gloucester, to whom the order of the 
siege is given, is altogether directed by an Irishman, a 
very valiant gentleman, i' faith. 62 

Flu. It is Captain Macmorris, is it not? 

Gow. I think it be. 

Flu. By. Cheshu, he is an ass, as in the world; I will verify 
as much in his beard. He has no more directions in 
the true discipHnes of the wars, look you, of the Roman 
disciplines, than is a puppy-dog. 

Enter Macmorris and Captain Jamy. 

Gow. Here a' comes; and the Scots captain. Captain Jamy, 
with him. 70 

Flu. Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentleman, that 
is certain; and of great expedition and knowledge in the 
aunchient wars, upon my particular knowledge of his 
directions. By Cheshu, he will maintain his argument 
as well as any military man in the world, in the dis- 
ciplines of the pristine wars of the Romang. 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 53 

Jamy. I say gud-day, Captain Fluellen. 

Flu. God-den^ to your worship, good Captain James. 

Gow. How now, Captain MacmorrisI have you quit the 
mines? have the pioners given o'er? 80 

Mac. By Chrish, la! tish ill done; the work ish give over, 
the trompet sound the retreat. By my hand, I swear, 
and my father's soul, the work ish ill done; it ish give 
over. I would have bio wed up the town, so Chrish save 
me, la! in an hour. O, tish ill done, tish ill done; by 
my hand, tish ill done! 

Flu. Captain Macmorris, I beseech you now, will you vout- 
safe me, look you, a few disputations with you, as partly 
touching or concerning the disciplines of the war, the 
Roman wars, in the way of argument, look you, and 
friendly communication; partly to satisfy my opinion, 
and partly for the satisfaction, look you, of my mind, 
as touching the direction of the military discipline; that 
is the point. 94 

Jamy. It sail be vary gud, gud feith, gud captains bath; 
and I sail quit^^ you with gud leve, as I may pick occa- 
sion; that sail I, marry^. 

Mac. It is no time to discourse, so Chrish save me; the 
day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the King, 
and the dukes; it is no time to discourse. The town is 
beseeched, and the trumpet call us to the breach; and 
we talk, and, be Chrish, do nothing. 'T is 'shame for us 
all; so God sa'^ me, 't is shame to stand still; it is shame, 
by my hand. And there is throats to be cut, and works 
to be done; and there ish nothing done, so Chrish sa' 
me, la! 106 

Jamy. By the mess^, ere theise eyes of mine take them- 
selves to slomber, I'll de gud service, or I'll lig i' the 
grimd for it; ay, or go to death; and I'U pay't as valor- 



54 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

ously as I may, that sail I suerly do, that is the breff 
and the long. Marry °, I wad full fain heard some ques- 
tion 'tween you tway. 

Flu. Captain Macmorris, I think, look you, under your 
correction, there is not many of your nation — 

Mac. Of my nation! What ish my nation? What ish my 
nation? Who talks of my nation ish a villain, and a 
bastard, and a knave, and a rascal. 117 

Flu. Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than is 
meant. Captain Macmorris, peradventure I shall think 
you do not use me with that affability as in discretion 
you ought to use me, look you; being as good a man 
as yourself, both in the disciplines of war, and in the 
derivation of my birth, and in other particularities. 

Mac. I do not know you so good a man as myself. So Chrish 
save me, I will cut off your head. 125 

Gow. Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other. 

J amy. A! that's a foul fault. [A parley sounded. 

Gow. The town sounds a parley. 

Flu. Captain Macmorris, when there is more better oppor- 
tunity to be requir'd, look you, I will be so bold as to 
tell you I know the disciplines of war; and there is an 
end. [Exeunt. 

Scene III. The same. Before the gates. 

The Governor and some Citizens on the walls; the English 

forces below. 

' Enter King Henry and his train. 

K. Hen. How yet resolves the governor of the town? 
This is the latest parle we will admit; 
Therefore to our best mercy give yourselves, 



SCENE III] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 55 

Or like to men proud of destruction 

Defy us to our worst; for, as I am a soldier, 

A name that in my thoughts becomes me best, 

If I begin the battery once again, 

I will not leave the half-achiev'd Harfleur 

Till in her ashes she He buried. 

The gates of mercy shall be all shut up, lo 

And the flesh'd"^ soldier, rough and hard of heart, 

In liberty of bloody hand shall range 

With conscience wide as hell, mowing hke grass 

Your fresh-fair virgins and your flowering infants. 

What is it then to me, if impious war, 

Array'd in flames like to the prince of fiends. 

Do, with his smirch' d complexion, all fell feats 

Enlink'd to waste and desolation? 

What is 't to me, when you yourselves are cause. 

If your pure maidens fall into the hand 20 

Of hot and forcing violation? 

What rein can hold licentious wickedness 

When down the hill he holds his fierce career? 

We may as bootless spend our vain command 

Upon the enraged soldiers in their spoil, 

As send precepts to the leviathan 

To come ashore. Therefore, you men of Harfleur, 

Take pity of your town and of your people. 

Whiles yet my soldiers are in my command; 

Whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace 30 

O'erblows the filthy and contagious clouds 

Of heady murther, spoil, and villany. 

If not, why, in a moment look to see 

The blind and bloody soldier with foul hand 

Defile the locks of your shrill- shrieking daughters; 

Your fathers taken by the silver beards, 



56 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act m 

And their most reverend heads dash'd to the walls; 

Your naked infants spitted upon pikes, 

Whiles the mad mothers with their howls confus'd 

Do break the clouds, as did the wives of Jewry 40 

At Herod's bloody-hunting slaughtermen^. 

What say you? will you yield, and this avoid, 

Or, guilty in defence, be thus destroy'd? 

Gov. Our expectation hath this day an end. 

The Dauphin, whom of succours we entreated, 

Returns us that his powers are yet not ready 

To raise so great a siege. Therefore, great King, 

We yield our town and Hves to thy soft mercy. 

Enter our gates; dispose of us and ours; 

For we no longer are defensible. 50 

K. Hen. Open your gates. Come, uncle Exeter, 
Go you and enter Harfleur; there remain, 
And fortify it strongly 'gainst the French; 
Use mercy to them all. For us, dear uncle, 
The winter coming on and sickness growing 
Upon our soldiers, we will retire to Calais. 
To-night in Harfleur we will be your guest; 
To-morrow for the march are we addrest. 

[Flourish^. The King and his train enter the town. 



Scene IV. The French King^s Palace. 
Enter Katharine and Alice. 

Kath. Alice, tu as ete en Angleterre, et tu paries bien le 

langage^. 
Alice. Un peu, madame. 
Kath. Je te prie, m'enseignez; il faut que j' apprenne a 

parler. Comment appelez-vous la main en Anglois? 



SCENE IV] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 57 

Alice. La main? elle est appelee de hand. 

Kath. De hand. Et les doigts? 

Alice Les doigts? ma foi, j'oubHe les doigts; mais je me 
souviendrai. Les doigts? je pense qu'ils sont appeles de 
fingres; oui, de fingres. lo 

Kath. La main, de hand; les doigts, de fingres. Je pense 
que je suis le bon ecolier; j' ai gagne deux mots d'Anglois 
vitement. Comment appelez-vous les ongles ? 

Alice. Les ongles? nous les appelons de nails. 

Kath. De nails. Ecoutez; dites-moi, si je parle bien; de 
hand, de fingres, et de nails. 

Alice. C'est bien dit, madame; il est fort bon Anglois. 

Kath. Dites-moi I'Anglois pour le bras. 

Alice. De arm, madame. 

Kath. Et le coude. 20 

Alice. De elbow. 

Kath. De elbow. Je m'en fais la repetition de tous les mots 
que vous m'avez appris des a present. 

Alice. II est trop difficile, madame, comme je pense. 

Kath. Excusez-moi, Alice; ecoutez; de hand, de fingres, de 
nails, de arma, de bilbow. 

Alice. De elbow, madame. 

Kath. O Signeur Dieu, je m'en oublie! de elbow. Com- 
ment appelez-vous le col? 

Alice. De neck, madame. 30 

Kath. De nick. Et le menton? 

Alice. De chin. 

Kath. De sin. Le col, de nick; le menton, de sin. 

Alice. Oui. Sauf votre honneur, en verite, vous prononcez 
les mots aussi droit que les natifs d'Angelterre. 

Kath. Je ne doute point d' apprendre, par la grace de Dieu, 
et en peu de temps. 

Alice. N'avez vous pas deja oublie ce que je vous ai enseigne? 



58 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

Kath. Non, je reciterai a vous promptement ; de hand, de 
fingres, de mails, — 40 

Alice. De nails, madame. 

Kath. De nails, de arm, de ilbow. 

Alice. Sauf votre honneur, de elbow. 

Kath. Ainsi dis-je; de elbow, de nick, et de sin. Comment 
appelez-vous le pied et la robe? 

Alice. De foot, madame; et de coun. 

Kath. De foot et de coun! O Seigneur Dieu! ce sont mots 
de son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, et non 
pour les dames d'honneur d'user; je ne voudrais pro- 
noncer ces mots devant les seigneurs de France pour 
tout le monde. Fob! le foot et le coun! Neanmoins, 
je reciterai une autre fois ma le^on ensemble; de hand, 
de fingres, de nails, de arm, de elbow, de nick, de sin, 
de foot, de coun. 50 

Alice. Excellent, madame! 

Kath. C'est assez pour une fois; allons-nous a diner. 

[Exeunt. 

Scene V. The same. 

Enter the King of France, the Dauphin, the Duke of Bour- 
bon, the Constable of France, and others. 

Fr. King. 'Tis certain he hath pass'd the river Somme. 

Con. And if he be not fought withaP, my lord. 
Let us not live in France; let us quit all. 
And give our vineyards to a barbarous people. 

Dau. O Dieu vivant^l shall a few sprays^ of us. 
The emptying of our fathers' luxury^^. 
Our scions, put in wild and savage stock, 
Spurt up so suddenly into the clouds, 
And overlook their grafters? 

Boitr. Normans, but bastard Normans, Norman bastards! 10 



SCENE V] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 59 

Mort de ma vie^l if they march along 
Unf ought withal, but I will sell my dukedom, 
To buy a slobbery ° and a dirty farm 
In that nook-shotten^ isle of Albion. 

Con, Dieu de batailles^l where have they this mettle? 
Is not their climate foggy, raw, and dull, 
On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale, 
Killing their fruit with frowns? Can sodden^ water, 
A drench^ for sur-rein'd^ jades, their barley-broth, 
Decoct^^ their cold blood to such valiant heat? 20 

And shall our quick'^ blood, spirited with wine, 
Seem frosty? O, for honour of our land. 
Let us not hang like roping^ icicles 
Upon our houses' thatch, whiles a more frosty people 
Sweat drops of gallant youth in our rich fields ! 
Poor we may call them in their native lords^. 

Dau. By faith and honour. 

Our madams mock at us, and plainly say 
Our mettle is bred out. 

Bour. They bid us to the English dancing-schools, 30 

And teach lavoltas" high and swift corantos"; 
Saying our grace is only in our heels, 
And that we are most lofty runaways. 

Fr. King. Where is Montjoy the herald? speed him hence; 
Let him greet England with our sharp defiance. 
Up, princes! and, with spirit of honour edg'd 
More sharper than your swords, hie to the field: 
Charles Delabreth, High Constable of France; 
You Dukes of Orleans, Bourbon, and of Berri, 
Alen^on, Brabant, Bar, and Burgundy; 40 

Jaques Chatillon, Rambures, Vaudemont, 
Beaumont, Grandpre, Roussi, and Fauconberg, 
Foix, Lestrale, Bouciqualt, and Charolois — 



60 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act in 

High dukes, great princes, barons, lords, and knights, 

For your great seats now quit you of great shames^. 

Bar Harry England, that sweeps through our land 

With pennons painted in the blood of Harfleur; 

Rush on his host, as doth the melted snow 

Upon the valleys, whose low vassal seat 

The Alps doth spit and void his rheum upon; 50 

Go down upon him, you have power enough, 

And in a captive chariot into Rouen 

Bring him our prisoner. 

Con. This becomes the great. 

Sorry am I his numbers are so few, 
His soldiers sick and famish'd in their march; 
For I am sure, when he shall see our army, 
He'll drop his heart into the sink of fear, 
And for achievement offer us his ransom^. 

Fr. King. Therefore, Lord Constable, haste on Montjoy; 
And let him say to England that we send 60 

To know what willing ransom he will give. 
Prince Dauphin, you shall stay with us in Rouen. 

Dau. Not so, I do beseech your majesty. 

Fr. King. Be patient, for you shall remain with us. 
Now forth. Lord Constable and princes all. 
And quickly bring us word of England's fall. [Exeunt. 

Scene VL The English camp in Picardy. 

Enter Gower and Fluellen, meeting. 

Gow. How now. Captain Fluellen! come you from the bridge? 
Flu. I assure you, there is very excellent services committed 

at the bridge. 
Gow. Is the Duke of Exeter safe? 
Flu. The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamem- 



SCENE VI] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 61 

non*^^; and a man that I love and honour with my soul, 
and my heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, 
and my uttermost power. He is not — God be praised 
and blessed! — any hurt in the world; but keeps the 
bridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline. There 
is an aunchient lieutenant there at the bridge; I think 
in my very conscience he is as valiant a man as Mark 
Antony; and he is a man of no estimation in the world; 
but I did see him do as gallant service. 14 

Gow. What do you call him? 

Flu. He is called Aunchient Pistol. 

Gow. I know him not. 

Enter Pistol. 

Flu. Here is the man. 

Pist. Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours; 

The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well. 20 

Flu. Ay, I praise God; and I have merited some love at 
his hands. 

Pist. Bardolph, a soldier, firm and sound of heart, 
And of buxom valour, hath, by cruel fate. 
And giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheeP, 
That goddess blind. 
That stands upon the rolling restless stone — 

Flu. By your patience, Aunchient Pistol. Fortune is painted 
blind, with a muffler afore her eyes, to signify to you 
that Fortune is blind; and she is painted also with a 
wheel, to signify to you, which is the moral of it, that 
she is turning, and inconstant, and mutability, and vari- 
ation; and her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical 
stone, which rolls, and rolls, and rolls. In good truth, 
the poet makes a most excellent description of it: For- 
tune is an excellent moraP, ^6 



62 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

Pist. Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him; 
For he hath stolen a pax^^, and hanged must a' be, 
A damned death! 

Let gallows gape for dogs; let man go free, 
And let not hemp his wind pipe suffocate; 
But Exeter hath given the doom of death 
For pax of little price. 

Therefore, go speak; the Duke will hear thy voice; 
And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut 
With* edge of penny cord and vile reproach. 
Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite. 

Flu. Aunchient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning. 

Pist. Why then, rejoice therefore. 49 

Flu. Certainly, aunchient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; 
for if, look you, he were my brother, I would desire the 
Duke to use his good pleasure, and put him to execution; 
for discipline ought to be used. 

PisL Die and be damn'd! and figo^ for thy friendship! 

Flu. It is well. 

Pist. The fig of Spain. [Exit. 

Flu. Very good. 

Gow. Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal; I remember 
him now; a bawd, a cutpurse^. 59 

Flu. ril assure you, a' uttered as brave words at the bridge 
as you shall see in a summer's day. But it is very well; 
what he has spoke to me, that is well, I warrant you, 
when time is serve. 

Gow. Why, 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and then 
goes to the wars, to grace himself at his return into Lon- 
don under the form of a soldier. And such fellows are 
perfect in the great commanders' names; and they will 
learn you by rote where services were done; at such and 
such a sconce^, at such a breach, at such a convoy; who 



SCENE vi] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 63 

came off bravely, who was shot, who disgraced, what 
terms the enemy stood on; and this they con° perfectly 
in the phrase of war, which they trick up with new-tuned 
oaths. And what a beard of the general's cut"^ and a 
horrid suit of the camp will do among foaming bottles 
and ale-washed wits, is wonderful to be thought on. But 
you must learn to know such slanders of the age, or else 
you may be marvellously mistook. y^ 

Flu. I tell you what. Captain Gower; I do perceive he is not 
the man that he would gladly make show to the world 
he is. If I find a hole in his coat, I will tell him my mind. 
[Drum heard] Hark you, the King is coming, and I 
must speak with him from the bridge. 

Drum and colours. Enter King Henry, Gloucester, and 

Soldiers. 

God bless your majesty! 

K. Hen. How now, Fluellen! earnest thou from the bridge? 

Flu. Ay, so please your majesty. The Duke of Exeter has 
very gallantly maintained the bridge; the French is gone 
off, look you; and there is gallant and most brave passages^ 
Marry, the athversary was have possession of the bridge; 
but he is enforced to retire, and the Duke of Exeter is 
master of the bridge. I can tell your majesty, the duke 
is a brave man. . qj 

K. Hen. What men have you lost, Fluellen? 

Flu. The perdition of the athversary hath been very great, 
reasonable great. Marry, for my part, I think the Duke 
hath lost never a man, but one that is like to be executed 
for robbing a church, one Bardolph, if your majesty 
know the man. His face is all bubukles, and whelks, 
and knobs, and flames o' fire; and his lips blows at his 
nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes blue and 



64 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act m 

sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire's 
out. lOI 

K, Hen. We would have all such offenders so cut off; and 
we give express charge, that in our marches through 
the country, there be nothing compelled from the vil- 
lages, nothing taken but paid for, none of the French 
upbraided or abused in disdainful language; for when 
lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler game- 
ster is the soonest winner. 

Tucket. Enter Montjoy. 

Mont. You know me by my habit. 

K. Hen. Well then I know thee. What shall I know of 
thee? no 

Mont. My master's mind. 

K. Hen. Unfold it. 

Mont. Thus says my King: Say thou to Harry of England: 
Though we seemed dead, we did but sleep; advantage 
is a better soldier than rashness. Tell him we could 
have rebuked him at Harfleur, but that we thought not 
good to bruise an injury till it were full ripe. Now we 
speak upon our cue^, and our voice is imperial. England 
shall repent his folly, see his weakness, and admire our 
sufferance. Bid him therefore consider of his ransom, 
which must proportion the losses we have borne, the 
subjects we have lost, the disgrace we have digested; 
which in weight to re-answer, his pettiness would bow 
under. For our losses, his exchequer^ is too poor; for 
the effusion of our blood, the muster of his kingdom 
too faint a number; and for our disgrace, his own person, 
kneeling at our feet, but a weak and worthless satisfac- 
tion. To this add defiance; and tell him, for conclusion, 
he hath betrayed his followers, whose condemnation is 



SCENE VI] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 65 

pronounced. So far my King and master; so much, my 
office. 131 

K. Hen. What is thy name? I know thy quality"^. 

Mont. Montjoy. 

K. Hen. Thou dost thy office fairly. Turn thee back, 
And tell thy King I do not seek him now; 
But could be willing to march on to Calais 
Without impeachment^; for, to say the sooth, 
Though 'tis no wisdom to confess so much 
Unto an enemy of craft and vantage^, 
My people are with sickness much enfeebl'd; 140 

My numbers lessen'd, and those few I have 
Almost no better than so many French; 
Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald, 
I thought upon one pair of English legs 
Did march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me, God, 
That I do brag thus! This your air of France 
Hath blown that vice in me; I must repent. 
Go therefore, tell thy master here I am; 
My ransom is this frail and worthless tnmk, 
My army but a weak and sickly guard; 150 

Yet, God before, tell him we will come on. 
Though France himself and such another neighbour 
Stand in our way. There's for thy labour, Montjoy. 
Go, bid thy master well advise himself: 
If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder'd. 
We shall your tawny ground with your red blood 
Discolour. And so, Montjoy, fare you well 
The sum of all our answer is but this: 
We would not seek a battle, as we are; 
Nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it: 160 

So tell your master. 

Mont. I shall deliver so. Thanks to your highness. [Exit. 



66 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

Glou. I hope they will not come upon us now. 

K. Hen. We are in God's hand, brother, not in theirs. 
March to the bridge; it now draws toward night. 
Beyond the river we'll encamp ourselves, 
And on to-morrow bid them march away. [Exeunt. 



Scene VII. The French camp, near Agincourt. 

Enter the Constable of France, the Lord Rambures, 
Orleans, Dauphin, with others. 

Con. Tut! I have the best armour of the world. Would 
it were dayl 

Orl. You have an excellent armour; but let my horse have 
his due. 

Con. It is the best horse of Europe. 

Orl. Will it never be morning? 

Dau. My Lord of Orleans, and my Lord High Constable, 
you talk of horse and armour? 

Orl. You are as well provided of both as any prince in the 
world. ID 

Dau. What a long night is this! I will not change my horse 
with any that treads but on four pasterns^, ^a, ha^! 
he boimds from the earth, as if his entrails were hairs^; 
le cheval volant^, the Pegasus^, chez les narines de feu^l 
When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk; he trots the 
air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn 
of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes'". 

Orl. He's of the colour of the nutmeg. 

Dau. And of the heat of the ginger. It is a beast for Per- 
seus'**; he is pure air and fire; and the dull elements of 
earth and water^ never appear in him, but only in patient 
stillness while his rider mounts him; he is indeed a horse; 



SCENE VII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 67 

and all other jades you may call beasts. 23 

Con. Indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and excellent 

horse. 
Dau. It is the prince of palfreys; his neigh is like the bid- 
ding of a monarch, and his countenance enforces homage. 
Orl. No more, cousin. 

Dau. Nay, the man hath no wit that cannot, from the rising 
of the lark to the lodging of the lamb, vary deserved 
praise on my palfrey. It is a theme as fluent as the sea; 
turn the sands into eloquent tongues, and my horse is 
argument°4 for them all. 'Tis a subject for a sover- 
eign to reason on, and for a sovereign's sovereign to ride 
on, and for the world, familiar to us and unknown, to 
lay apart their particular functions and wonder at him. 
I once writ a sonnet in his praise and began thus: '* Won- 
der of nature," — 3^ • 
Orl. I have heard a sonnet begin so to one's mistress. 
Dau. Then did they imitate that which I composed to my 

courser, for my horse is my mistress. 
Orl. Your mistress bears well. 
Dau. Me well; which is the prescript praise and perfection 

of a good and particular mistress. 
Con. Nay, for methought yesterday your mistress shrewdly 

shook your back. 
Dau. So perhaps did yours. 
Con. Mine was not bridled. 

Dau. O then belike she was old and gentle; and you rode, 

like a kern'' of Ireland, your French hose off, and in 

- your strait strossers^. 5^ 

Con. You have good judgment in horsemanship. 

Dau. Be warned by me, then: they that ride so, and ride 

not warily, fall into foul bogs. I had rather have my horse 

to my mistress. 



68 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

Con. I had as lief have my mistress a jade. 

Dau. I tell" thee, Constable, my mistress wears his own 

hair^. 
Con. I could make as true a boast as that, if I had a sow 

to my mistress. 60 

Dau. *^Le chien est retoume a son propre vomissement, et 

la truie lavee au bourbier^:" thou makest use of any 

thing. 
Con. Yet do I not use my horse for my mistress, or any 

such proverb so little kin to the purpose. 
Ram. My Lord Constable, the armour that I saw in your 

tent to-night, are those stars or suns upon it? 
Con. Stars, my lord. 

Dau. Some of them will fall to-morrow, I hope. 
Con. And yet my sky shall not want. 70 

Dau. That may be, for you bear a many superfluously, 

and 'twere more honour some were away. 
Con. Even as your horse bears your praises; who would 

trot as well, were some of your brags dismounted. 
Dau. Would I were able to load him with his desert! Will 

it never be day? I will trot to-morrow a mile, and my 

way shall be paved with English faces. 
Con. I will not say so, for fear I should be faced out of my 

way; but I would it were morning, for I would fain be 

about the ears of the English. 80 

Ram. Who will go to hazard^ with me for twenty prisoners? 
Con. You must first go yourself to hazard, ere you have 

them. 
Dau. 'Tis midnight; I'll go arm myself. [Exit. 

Orl. The Dauphin longs for morning. 
Ram. He longs to eat the English. 
Con. I think he will eat all he kills. 
OrL By the white hand of my lady, he's a gallant prince. 



SCENE VII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 69 

Con. Swear by her foot, that she may tread out the oath^. 

Orl. He is simply the most active gentleman of France. 90 

Con. Doing is activity; and he will still be doing. 

Orl. He never did harm, that I heard of. 

Con. Nor will do none to-morrow; he will keep that good 

name still. 
Oil. I know him to be valiant. 

Con. I was told that by one that knows him better than you. 
Orl. What's he? 
Con. Marry°, he told me so himself; and he said he cared 

not who knew it. 
Orl. He needs not; it is no hidden virtue in him. 100 

Con. By my faith, sir, but it is; never any body saw it but 

his lackey. 'Tis a hooded valour; and when it appears, 

it will bate^. 
Orl. Ill will never said well. 
Con. I will cap that proverb with "There is flattery in 

friendship." 
Orl. And I will take up that with "Give the devil his due." 
Con. Well placed, there stands your friend for the devil: 

have^^ at the very eye of that proverb with "A pox of 

the devil." no 

Orl. You are the better at proverbs, by how much "A fool's 

bolt° is soon shot." 
Con. You have shot over. 
Orl. 'Tis not the first time you were overshot^. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Mess. My Lord High Constable, the English lie within 

fifteen hundred paces of your tents. 
Con. Who hath measured the ground? 
Mess. The Lord Grandpr^. 
Con. A valiant and most expert gentleman. Would it were 



70 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act hi 

dayl Alas, poor Harry of England! he longs not for 
the dawning as we do. 121 

OH. What a wretched and peevish fellow is this King of 
England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so far 
out of his knowledge! 

Con. If the Enghsh had any apprehension, they would run 
away. 

Orl. That they lack; for if their heads had any intellectual 
armour, they could never wear such heavy head-pieces. 

Ram. That island of England breeds very vaUant creatures; 
their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage. 130 

Orl. Foolish curs, that run winking^ into the mouth of a 
Russian bear and have their heads crushed like rotter 
apples! You may as well say, that's a valiant flea tha 
dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a Hon. 

Con. Just, just; and the men do sympathize with the mas 
tiffs in robustious and rough coming on, leaving thei: 
wits vdth their wives; and then give them great meals 
of beef and iron and steel, they will eat hke wolves and 
fight like devils. 139 

Orl. Ay, but these English are shrewdly out of beef. 

Con. Then shall we find to-morrow they have only stomachs^ 
to eat and none to fight. Now is it time to arm; come, 
shall we about it? 

Orl. It is now two o'clock; but, let me see, by ten 

We shall have each a hundred Englishmen. [Exeunt. 



II 



PRO.] 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



71 




"walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent" 



ACT IV 

PROLOGUE 

Enter Chorus. 

Chor. Now entertain conjecture of a time 

When creeping murmur and the poring dark 

Fills the wide vessel of the universe. 

From camp to camp through the foul womb of night 

The hum of either army stilly sounds, 

That the fix'd sentinels almost receive 

The secret whispers of each other's watch. 

Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames 

Each battle^ sees the other's umber'd face. 



72 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



[act IV 



Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs lo 

Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents 

The armourers, accomplishing^ the knights, 

With busy hammers closing rivets up, 

Give dreadful note of preparation. 

The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll, 

And the third hour of drowsy morning name. 

Proud of their numbers and secure in soul, 

The confident and over-lusty French 

Do the low-rated English play at dice; 

And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night 20 

WTio, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp 

So tediously away. The poor condemned English, 

Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires 

Sit patiently and inly ruminate 

The morning's danger; and their gesture sad 

Investing lank-lean cheeks and war-worn coats 

Presenteth them unto the gazing moon 

So many horrid ghosts. O now, who will behold 

The royal captain of this ruin'd band 

Walking from .watch to watch, from tent to tent, 30 

Let him cry, Praise and glory on his head! 

For forth he goes and visits all his host, 

Bids them good morrow with a modest smile. 

And calls them brothers, friends and countrymen. 

Upon his royal face there is no note 

How dread an army hath enrounded him; 

Nor doth he dedicate one jot of colour 

Unto the weary and all-watched night, 

But freshly looks and over-bears attaint 

With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty; 40 

That every wretch, pining and pale before, 

Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks. 



SCENE l] 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



73 



A largess universal like the sun 

His liberal eye doth give to every one, 

Thawing cold fear, that mean and gentle*^ all 

Behold, as may unworthiness define, 

A little touch of Harry in the night. 

And so our scene must to the battle fly; 

Where — O for pity! — we shall much disgrace 

With four or five most vile and ragged foils^, 

Right ill-dispos'd in brawl ridiculous. 

The name of Agincourt. Yet sit and see. 

Minding true things by what their mockeries be. 



50 



[Exit. 




HENRY V BEING ARMED BY HIS ESQUIRES 



Scene I. The English camp at Agincourt. 

Enter King Henry, Bedford, and Gloucester. 

K. Hen. Gloucester, 'tis true that we are in great danger; 
The greater therefore should our courage be. 
Good morrow, brother Bedford. God Almighty! 
There is some soul of goodness in things evil, 



74 KING HENRY THE FIFTH 

Would men observingly distil it out; 
For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers, 
Which is both healthful" and good husbandry. 
Besides, they are our outward consciences. 
And preachers to us all, admonishing 
That we should dress us fairly for our end. 
Thus may we gather honey from the weed, 
And make a moral of the devil himself. 




SIR THOMAS ERPmCHAM 



Enter Erpingham. 

Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham; 

A good soft pillow for that good white head 

Were better than a churlish turf of France. 
Erp. Not so, my hege; this lodging Hkes me better, 

Since I may say, "Now he I Hke a king." 
K. Hen. 'Tis good for men to love their present pains 

Upon example""; so the spirit is eas'd. 

And when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt 20 

The organs, though defunct and dead before, 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 75 

Break up their drowsy grave, and newly move 

With casted slough and fresh legerity^. 

Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both, 

Commend me to the princes in our camp; 

Do my good morrow to them, and anon 

Desire them all to my pavilion. 
Glou. We shall, my liege. 
Erp. Shall I attend your grace? 
K. Hen. No, my good knight; 

Go with my brothers to my lords of England. 30 

I and my bosom must debate a while, 

And then I would no other company. 
Erp. The Lord in heaven bless thee, noble Harry 1 

[Exeunt all hut King. 
K. Hen. God-a-mercy^, old heart! thou speakest cheerfully. 

Enter Pistol. 

Pist. Qui va la""? 

K. Hen. A friend. 

Pist. Discuss unto me; art thou officer? 

Or art thou base, common, and popular^? 
K. Hen. I am a gentleman of a company. 
Pist. Trailest thou the puissant pike? 40 

K. Hen. Even so. What are you? 
Pist. As good a gentleman as the Emperor. 
K. Hen. Then you are a better than the King. 
Pist. The King's a bawcock^, and a heart of gold, 

A lad of life, an imp of fame^; 

Of parents good, of fist most valiant. 

I kiss his dirty shoe, and from heart-string 

I love the lovely bully. What is thy name? 
K. Hen. Harry le Roi^. 
Pist* Le Roy! a Cornish name: art thou of Cornish crew? 



76 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

K. Hen. No, I am a Welshman^. 51 

Pist. Knowest thou Fluellen? 

K. Hen. Yes. 

Pist. Tell him, I'll knock his leek about his pate 

Upon Saint Davy's day. 
K. Hen. Do not you wear your dagger in your cap that 

day, lest he knock that about yours. 
Pist. Art thou his friend? 
K. Hen. And his kinsman too. 

Pist. The figo for thee, then! 60 

K. Hen. I thank you; God be with you. 
Pist. My name is Pistol called. [Exit. 

K. Hen. It sorts well with your fierceness. 

Enter Fluellen and Gower. 

Gow. Captain Fluellen! 

Flu. So! in the name of Jesu Christ, speak lower. It is 
the greatest admiration in the universal world, when 
the true and aunchient prerogatifes and laws of the wars 
is not kept. If you would take the pains but to examine 
the wars of Pompey the Great, you shall find, I warrant 
you, that there is no tiddle taddle nor pibble pabble in 
Pompey's camp; I warrant you, you shall find the cere- 
monies of the wars, and the cares of it, and the forms 
of it, and the sobriety of it, and the modesty of it, to be 
otherwise. 

Gow. Why, the enemy is loud; you hear him all night. 

Flu. If the enemy is an ass and a fool and a prating cox- 
comb^, is it meet, think you, that we should also, look 
you, be an ass and a fool and a prating coxcomb? in 
your own conscience, now? 

Gow. I will speak lower. 80 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 77 

Flu. I pray you and beseech you that you will. 

[Exeunt Gower and Fluellen. 
K. Hen. Though it appear a little out of fashion, 
There is much care and valour in this Welshman. 

Enter three soldiers, John Bates, Alexander Court, and 
Michael Williams. 

Court. Brother John Bates, is not that the morning which 
breaks yonder? 

Bates. I think it be; but we have no great cause to desire 
the approach of day. 

Will. We see yonder the beginning of the day, but I think 
we shall never see the end of it. Who goes there? 

K. Hen. A friend. 90 

Will. Under what captain serve you? 

K. Hen. Under Sir Thomas Erpingham. 

Will. A good old commander and a most kind gentleman. 
I pray you, what thinks he of our estate? 

K. Hen. Even as men wracked upon a sand^, that look to 
be washed off the next tide. 

Bates. He hath not told his thought to the King? 

K. Hen. No; nor it is not meet he should. For, though I 
speak it to you, I think the King is but a man, as I am. 
The violet smells to him as it doth to me; the element^ 
shows to him as it doth to me; all his senses have but 
human conditions. His ceremonies laid by, in his naked- 
ness he appears but a man; and though his affections 
are higher mounted than ours, yet, when they stoop, 
they stoop with the like wing. Therefore when he sees 
reason of fears, as we do, his fears, out of doubt, be of 
the same relish as ours are; yet, in reason, no man should 
possess him with any appearance of fear, lest he, by 
showing it, should dishearten his army. 109 



78 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

Bates. He may show what outward courage he will; but I 
believe, as cold a night as 'tis, he could wish himself 
in Thames up to the neck; and so I would he were, and 
I by him, at all adventures, so we were quit here. 

K. Hen, By my troth, I will speak my conscience of the 
King: I think he would not wish himself any where 
but where he is. • 

Bates. Then I would he were here alone; so should he be 
sure to be ransomed, and a many poor men's Hves saved, 

K. Hen. I dare say you love him not so ill, to wish him here 
alone, howsoever you speak this to feel other men's 
minds. Methinks I could not die any where so con- 
tented as in the King's company, his cause being just 
and his quarrel honourable. 123 

Will. That's more than we know. 

Bates. Ay, or more than we should seek after; for we know 
enough, if we know we are the King's subjects. If his 
cause be wrong, our obedience to the King wipes the 
crime of it out of us. 

Will. But if the cause be not good, the King himself hath 
a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms 
and heads, chopped off in a battle, shall join together 
at the latter day and cry all. We died at such a place; 
some swearing, some crying for a surgeon, some upon^ 
their wives left poor behind them, some upon^ the debts 
they owe, some upon^ their children rawly left. I am 
afeard there are few die well that die in a battle; for how 
can they charitably dispose of any thing, when blood 
is their argument^? Now, if these men do not die well, 
it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it; 
whom to disobey were against all proportion of subjection. 

K. Hen. So, if a son that is by his father sent about mer- 
chandise do sinfully miscarry upon the sea, the imputa- 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 79 

tion of his wickedness, by your rule, should be imposed 
upon his father that sent him; or if a servant, under his 
master's command transporting a sum of money, be 
assailed by robbers and die in many irreconciled iniquities, 
you may call the business of the master the author of 
the servant's damnation. But this is not so. The King 
is not bound to answer the particular endings of his 
soldiers, the father of his son, nor the master of his ser- 
vant; for they purpose not their death, when they purpose 
their services. Besides, there is no king, be his cause 
never so spotless, if it come to the arbitrement of swords, 
can try it out with all unspotted soldiers. Some perad- 
venture have on them the guilt of premeditated and 
contrived murder; some, of beguiling^' virgins with the 
broken seals of perjury; some, making the wars their 
bulwark, that have before gored the gentle bosom of 
peace with pillage and robbery. Now, if these men 
have defeated the law and outrun native punishment^, 
though they can outstrip men, they have no wings to 
fly from God. War is his beadle, war is his vengeance; 
so that here men are punished for before-breach of the 
King's laws in now the King's quarrel. Where they 
feared the death, they have borne life away; and where 
they would be safe, they perish. Then if they die un- 
provided, no more is the King guilty of their damnation 
than he was before guilty of those impieties for the which 
they are now visited. Every subject's duty is the King's; 
but every subject's soul is his own. Therefore should 
every soldier in the wars do as every sick man in his bed, 
wash every mote out of his conscience; and dying so, 
death is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was 
blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained. 
And in him that escapes, it were not sin to think that, 



80 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

making God so free an offer, He let him outlive that 
day to see His greatness and to teach others how they 
should prepare. 178 

Will. 'Tis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill upon his 
own head; the King is not to answer it. 

Bates. I do not desire he should answer for me, and yet 
I determine to fight lustily for him. 

K. Hen. I myself heard the King say he would not be 
ransomed. 

Will. Ay, he said so, to make us fight cheerfully; but when 
our throats are cut, he may be ransomed, and we ne'er 
the wiser. 

K. Hen. If I live to see it, I will never trust his word after. 

Will. You pay him then! That's a perilous shot out of an 
elder-gun, that a poor and private displeasure can do 
against a monarch! you may as well go about to turn 
the sun to ice with fanning in his face with a peacock's 
feather. You'll never trust his word after! come, 'tis 
a foolish saying. 194 

K. Hen. Your reproof is something too roxmd; I should 
be angry with you, if the time were convenient. 

Will. Let it be a quarrel between us, if you live. 

K. Hen. I embrace it. 

Will. How shall I know thee again? 

K. Hen. Give me any gage° of thine, and I will wear it 
in my bonnet; then, if ever thou darest acknowledge 
it, I will make it my quarrel. 

Will. Here's my glove; give me another of thine. 

K. Hen. There. 

Will. This will I also wear in my cap. If ever thou come to 
me and say, after to-morrow, "This is my glove," by 
this hand, I will take thee a box on the ear. 

K. Hen. If ever I live to see it, I will challenge^ it. 



•I 



SCENE l] 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 81 



Will. Thou darest as well be hanged. 

K. Hen. Well, I will do it, though I take thee in the King's 
company. ^^^ 

Will. Keep thy word; fare thee well. 

Bates. Be friends, you English fools, be friends; we have 
French quarrels enow, if you could tell how to reckon. 

K. Hen. Indeed, the French may lay twenty French crowns 
to one, they wiU beat us; for they bear them on their 
shoulders: but it is no English treason to cut French 
crowns^, and to-morrow the King himself will be a clipper. 

\Exeunt Soldiers. 

Upon the Kingl let us our lives, our souls. 

Our debts, our careful wives, 220 

Our children, and our sins lay on the King! 

We must bear all. O hard condition. 

Twin-born with greatness, subject to the breath 

Of every fool whose sense no more can feel 

But his own wringing^! What infinite heart' s-ease 

Must kings neglect that private men enjoy! 

And what have kings, that privates have not too, 

Save ceremony, save general ceremony? 

And what art thou, thou idol ceremony? 

What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more 230 

Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers? 

What are thy rents? what are thy comings in? 

O ceremony, show me but thy worth! 

What is thy soul of adoration? 

Art thou aught else but place, degree, and form, 

Creating awe and fear in other men? 

Wherein thou art less happy being fear'd 

Than they in fearing. 

What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet. 

But poison'd flattery? O, be sick, great greatness, 240 



82 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

And bid thy ceremony give thee cure! 

Think' st thou the fiery fever will go out 

With titles blown from adulation? 

Will it give place to flexure and low bending? 

Canst thou, when thou command' st the beggar's knee, 

Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream, 

That play'st so subtly with a king's repose. 

I am a king that find thee, and I know 

'Tis not the balm^, the sceptre, and the balP, 

The sword, the rnace^^, the crown imperial, 250 

The intertissued robe of gold and pearl. 

The farced^ title running 'fore the King, 

The throne he sits on, nor the tide of pomp 

That beats upon the high shore of this world, — 

No, not all these, thrice-gorgeous ceremony, 

Not all these, laid in bed majestical. 

Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave, 

Who with a body fiU'd and. vacant mind 

Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread; 

Never sees horrid night, the child of hell; 260 

But, like a lackey, from the rise to set 

Sweats in the eye of Phoebus*^, and all night 

Sleeps in Elysium^; next day after dawn, 

Doth rise and help Hyperion^ to his horse; 

And follows so the ever-running year, 

With profitable labour to his grave. 

And, but for ceremony, such a wretch. 

Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep, 

Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king. 

The slave, a member of the country's peace, 270 

Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots 

What watch the King keeps to maintain the peace. 

Whose hours the peasant best advantages. 



I 



SCENE i] KING BENRY THE FIFTH 83 

Enter Erpingham. 

Erp. My lord, your nobles, jealous of your absence, 
Seek through your camp to find you. 

K. Hen. \ Good old knight. 

Collect them all together at my tent; 
I'll be before thee. 

Erp. I shall do 't, my lord. [Exit. 

K. Hen. O God of battles! steel my soldiers' hearts; 
Possess them not with fear; take from them now 
The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers 280 
Pluck their hearts from them. Not to-day, O Lord, 
O, not to-day, think not upon the fault 
My father made^ in compassing the crown! 
I Richard's body have interred new; 
And on it have bestow' d more contrite tears 
Than from it issu'd forced drops of blood. 
Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay. 
Who twice a-day their wither'd hands hold up 
Toward heaven, to pardon blood^; and I have built 
Two chantries", where the sad and solemn priests 290 
Sing still for Richard's soul. More will I do; 
Though all that I can do is nothing worth, 
Since that my penitence comes after all, 
Imploring pardon. 

Enter Gloucester. 
Glou. My liege! 

K. Hen. My brother Gloucester's voice? Ay; 

I know thy errand, I will go with thee: 
The day, my friends, and all things stay for me. 

[Exeunt. 



84 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

Scene II. The French camp. 

Enter the Dauphin, Orleans, Rambures, and others, 

Orl. The sun doth gild our armour; up, my lords! 

Dau. Montez a chevaP! My horse 1 varlet! laquais! hat 

Orl. O brave spirit! 

Dau. Via! les eaux et la terre! 

Orl. Rien puis? Pair et le feu! 

Dau. Ciel, cousin Orleans. 

Enter Constable. 

Now, my Lord Constable! 
Con. Hark, how our steeds for present service neigh! 
Dau. Mount them, and make incision in their hides, 

That their hot blood may spin in English eyes, lo 

And dout° them with superfluous courage, ha! 
Ram. What, will you have them weep our horses' blood? 

How shall we, then, behold their natural tears? 

Enter Messenger. 

Mess. The English are embattl'd'^, you French peers. 

Con. To horse, you gallant princes! straight to horse! 
Do but behold yon poor and starved band. 
And your fair show shall suck away their souls, 
Leaving them but the shales^ and husks of men. 
There is not work enough for all our hands; 
Scarce blood enough in all their sickly veins 20 

To give each naked curtle-axe^ a stain. 
That our French gallants shall to-day draw out, 
And sheathe for lack of sport. Let us but blow on them, 
The vapour of our valour will o'erturn them. 
'Tis positive 'gainst all exceptions, lords. 
That our superfluous lackeys and our peasants, 



SCENE n] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 85 

Who in unnecessary action swarm 

About our squares of battle, were enow 

To purge this field of such a hilding"" foe, 

Though we upon this mountain's basis by 30 

Took stand for idle speculation^'; 

But that our honours must not. What's to say? 

A very little lltde let us do, 

And all is done. Then let the trumpets sound 

The tucket sonance"" and the note to mount; 

For our approach shall so much dare the field 

That England shall couch down in fear and yield. 

Enter Grandpre. 

Grand. Why do you stay so long, my lords of France? 
. Yon island carrions, desperate of their bones, 

lU-favouredly become the morning field; 40 

Their ragged curtains^ poorly are let loose. 

And our air shakes them passing^ scornfully; 

Big Mars seems bankrupt in their beggar'd host 

And faintly through a rusty beaver^ peeps. 

The horsemen sit like fixed candlesticks^, 

With torch-staves in their hand; and their poor jades 

Lob down their heads, dropping the hides and hips. 

The gum down-roping from their pale-dead eyes; 

And in their pale dull mouths the gimmaP bit 

Lies foul with chew'd grass, still and motionless; 50 

And their executors, the knavish crows. 

Fly o'er them, all impatient for their hour. 

Description cannot suit itself in words 

To demonstrate the life of such a battle^ 

In life so lifeless as it shows itself. 

Con. They have said their prayers, and they stay for death. 

Dau. Shall we go send them dinners and fresh suits. 



86 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act \v] 

And give their fasting horses provender, 
And after fight with them? 
Con. I stay but for my guard; on to the field! 60] 

I will the banner from a trumpet^^ take, 
And use it for my haste. Come, come, away! 
The sun is high, and we outwear the day. [Exeunt. 



Scene III. The English camp. 

Enter Gloucester, Bedeord, Exeter, Erpingham, Salis^ 
BURY, Westmoreland, and the English host. 

Glou. Where is the King? 

Bed. The King himself is rode to view their battle. 

West. Of fighting men they have full three score thousand. 

Exe. There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh. 

Sal. God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds. 
God b' wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge. 
If we no more meet till we meet in heaven. 
Then, joyfully, my noble Lord of Bedford, 
My dear Lord Gloucester, and my good Lord Exeter, 
And my kind kinsman, warriors all, adieu! 10 

Bed. Farewell, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee! 

Exe. Farewell, kind lord; fight valiantly to-day. 
And yet I do thee wrong to mind thee of it. 
For thou art fram'd of the firm truth of valour. 

[Exit Salisbury. 

Bed. He is as full of valour as of kindness. 
Princely in both. 

Enter the King. 

West. O that we now had here 

But one ten thousand of those men in England 
That do no work to-day I 



SCENE III] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 87 

K. Hen. What's he that wishes so? 

My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin; 
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow 20 

To do our country loss; and if to live, 
The fewer men, the greater share of honour. 
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. 
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, 
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; 
It yearns^ me not if men my garments wear^; 
Such outward things dwell not in my desires; 
But if it be a sin to covet honour, 
I am the most offending soul alive. 
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England; 30 
God's peace 1 I would not lose so great an honour 
As one man more, methinks, would share from me, 
For the best hope I have^. O, do not wish one more! 
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, 
That he which hath no stomach to this fight, 
Let him depart; his passport shall be made, ^ 

* And crowns for convoy put into his purse; 
We would not die in that man's company 
That fears his fellowship to die with us. 
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian^; 40 

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, 
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd, 
And rouse him at the name of Crispian. 
He that shall live this day, and see old age, 
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, 
And say, "To-morrow is Saint Crispian." 
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, 
And say, "These wounds I had on Crispin's day." 
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, 
But he'll remember with advantages^ 50 



88 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, 

Familiar in his mouth as household words, 

Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, 

Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, 

Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. 

This story shall the good man teach his son; 

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, 

From this day to the ending of the world, 

But we in it shall be remembered; 

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; 

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me 

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, 

This day shall gentle his condition^; 

And gentlemen in England now a-bed 

Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, 

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks 

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. 

Re-enter Salisbury. 

Sal. My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed; 

The French are bravely in their battles^ set. 

And will with all expedience charge on us. 70 

K. Hen. All things are ready, if our minds be so. 
West. Perish the man whose mind is backward now! 
K. Hen. Thou dost not wish more help from England, coz? 
West. God's will! my liege, would you and I alone. 

Without more help, could fight this royal battle! 
K. Hen. Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men; 

Which likes me better than to wish us one. 

You know your places; God be with you all! 

Tucket. Enter Montjoy. 

Mont. Once more I come to know of thee, King Harry, 
If for thy ransom thou wilt now compound, 80 



SCENE III] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 89 

Before thy most assured overthrow; 

For certainly thou art so near the gulf°^, 

Thou needs must be englutted. Besides, in mercy, 

The constable desires thee thou wilt mind 

Thy followers of repentance; that their souls 

May make a peaceful and a sweet retire 

From off these fields, where, wretches, their poor bodies 

Must lie and fester. 

K. Hen. Who hath sent thee now? 

Mont. The Constable of France. 

K. Hen. I pray thee, bear my former answer back: 90 
Bid them achieve me and then sell my bones. 
Good God! why should they mock poor fellows thus? 
The man that once di"d sell the lion's skin 
While the beast liv'd, was kill'd with hunting him. 
A many of our bodies shall no doubt 
Find native graves; upon the which, I trust. 
Shall witness live in brass of this day's work. 
And those that leave their valiant bones in France^ 
Dying like men, though buri'd in your dunghills, 
They shall be fam'd; for there the sun shall greet them, 
And draw their honours reeking up to heaven; 10 1 

Leaving their earthly parts to choke your clime. 
The smell whereof shall breed a plague in France. 
Mark then abounding valour in our English, 
That being dead, like to the bullet's grazing, 
Break out into a second course of mischief, 
Killing in relapse of mortality. 
Let me speak proudly: tell the Constable 
We are but warriors for the working-day; 
Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd no 

With rainy marching in the painful field; 
There's not a piece of feather in our host, — 



90 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

Good argument, I hope, we will not fly, — 

And time hath worn us into slovenry; 

But, by the mass^, our hearts are in the trim; 

And my poor soldiers tell me, yet ere night 

They'll be in fresher robes, or they will pluck 

The gay new coats o'er the French soldiers' heads 

And turn them out of service. If they do this, — 

As, if God please, they shall, — my ransom then 120 

Will soon be levi'd. Herald, save thou thy labour; 

Come thou no more for ransom, gentle herald; 

They shall have none, I swear, but these my joints; 

Which if they have as I will leave 'em them, 

Shall yield them little, tell the Constable. 

Mont. I shall. King Harry. And so fare thee well; 

Thou never shalt hear herald any more. [Exit. 

K. Hen. I fear thou'lt once more come again for ransom. 

Enter York. 
York. My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg 

The leading of the vaward. 130 

K. Hen. Take it, brave York. Now, soldiers, march away; 

And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the dayl [Exeunt. 



Scene IV. The field of battle. 

Alarum. Excursions^. Enter Pistol, French Soldier, and Boy. 

Pist. Yield, curl 

Er. Sol. Je pense que vous etes gentilhomme de bonne 

qualite. 
Pist. Qual title calmie custure me^l Art thou a gentleman? 

what is thy name? discuss. 
Fr, Sol. O Seigneur Dieu^! 
Pist. O, Signieur Dew should be a gentleman. 



SCENE IV] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 91 

Perpend my words, O Signieur Dew, and mark; 

O Signieur Dew, thou diest on point of fox^^, 

Except, O signieur, thou do give to me lo 

Egregious ransom. 
Fr. Sol. O, prenez misericorde! avez pitie de moi^! 
Pist. Moy shall not serve; I will have forty moys^; 

Or I will fetch thy rim^^ out at thy throat 

In drops of crimson blood. 
Fr. Sol. Est-il impossible d'echapper la force de ton bras^ ? 
Pist. Brass, cur! 

Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat, 

Offer'st me brass? 
Fr. Sol. O pardonnez moil 20 

Pist. Say' St thou me so? is that a ton of moys? 

Come hither, boy; ask me this slave in French 

What is his name. 
Boy. Ecoutez: comment etes-vous appele^? 
Fr. Sol. Monsieur le Fer. 
Boy. He says his name is Master Fer. 
Pist. Master Fer! I'll fer^ him, and firk'' him, and ferret 

him: discuss the same in French unto him. 
Boy. I do not know the French for fer and ferret and firk. 
Pist. Bid him prepare; for I will cut his throat. 30 

Fr. Sol. Que dit-il, monsieur^? 
Boy. II me commande de vous dire que vous faites vous 

pret; car ce soldat ici est dispose tout a cette heure de 

couper votre gorge^. 
Pist. Owy, cuppele gorge, permafoy, 

Peasant, unless thou give me crovms, brave crowns; 

Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword. 
Fr. Sol. O, je vous suppHe, pour I'amour de Dieu, me par- 

donnerl Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison. Gardez 

ma vie, et je vous donnerai deux cents ecus. 40 



92 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 



Pist. What are his words? 

Boy. He prays you to save his life: he is a gentleman of a 
good house; and for his ransom he will give you two 
hundred crowns. 

Pist. Tell him my fury shall abate, and I 
The crowns will take. 

Fr. Sol. Petit monsieur, que dit-iP? 

Boy. Encore qu'il est centre son jurement de pardonner 
aucun prisonnier, neanmoins, pour les ecus que vous 
I'avez promis, il est content de vous donner la liberte, 
le franchisement^. ^i 

Fr. Sol. Sur mes genoux je vous donne mille remercimens; 
et je m'estime heureux que je suis tombe entre les mains 
d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave, vaillant, et tres 
distingue seigneur d'Angleterre. 

Pist. Expound unto me, boy. 

Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks; and 
he esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into the hands 
of one, as he thinks, the most brave, valorous, and thrice- 
worthy signieur of England. 60 

Pist. As I suck blood, I will some mercy show. Follow me! 

Boy. Suivez-vous le grand capitaine"". [Exeunt Pistol and 
French Soldier] I did never know so full a voice issue 
from so empty a heart; but the saying is true, ''The 
empty vessel makes the greatest sound." Bardolph and 
Nym had ten times more valour than this roaring devil 
i' the old play, that every one may pare his nails with a 
wooden dagger^; and they are both hanged; and so would 
this be, if he durst steal any thing adventurously. I must 
stay with the lackeys, with the luggage of our camp. 
The French might have a good prey of us, if he knew 
of it; for there is none to guard it but boys. [Exit. 



\ 

i 



SCENE v] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 93 



Scene V. Another part of the field. 

Enter Constable, Orleans, Bourbon, Dauphin, and 

Rambures. 
Con. O diable! 

Orl. O seigneur! le jour est perdu, tout est perdu! 
Dau. Mort de ma vie^! all is confounded, all! 

Reproach and everlasting shame 

Sits mocking in our plumes. O mechante'^ fortune! 

Do not run away. [A short alarum. 

Con. Why, all our ranks are broke. 

Dau. O perdurable^ shame! let's stab ourselves. 

Be these the wretches that we play'd at dice for? 
Orl. Is this the king we sent to for his ransom? 
Bour. Shame, and eternal shame, nothing but shame! lo 

Let's die in honour: once more back again. 

And he that will not follow Bourbon now, 

Let him go hence, and with his cap in hand, 

Like a base pander, hold the chamber-door. 
Con. Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now! 

Let us on heaps go offer up our lives. 
Orl. We are enow yet living in the field 

To smother up the English in our throngs, 

If any order might be thought upon. 
Bour. The devil take order now! I'll to the throng; 20 

Let life be short; else shame will be too long. [Exeunt. 

Scene VL Another part of the field. 

Alarums. Enter King Henry and forces, Exeter, and others. 

K. Hen. Well have we done, thrice, valiant countrymen; 
But all's not done; yet keep the French the field. 



94 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

Exe. The Duke of York commends him to your majesty. 

K. Hen. Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour 
I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting; 
From helmet to the spur all blood he was. 

Exe. In which array, brave soldier, doth he lie, 
Larding^^ the plain; and by his bloody side. 
Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds, 
The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies. jo 

Suffolk first died; and York, all haggl'd over, 
Comes to him, where in gore he lay insteep'd, 
And takes him by the beard; kisses the gashes 
That bloodily did yawn upon his face; 
And cries aloud, ''Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk! 
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven; 
Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast, 
As in this glorious and well-foughten field 
We kept together in our chivalry!" 
Upon these words I came and cheer' d him up. 20 

He smil'd me in the face, raught me his. hand, 
And, with a feeble gripe, says, ''Dear my lord. 
Commend my service to my sovereign." 
So did he turn and over Suffolk's neck 
He threw his wounded arm and kiss'd his lips; 
And so espous'd to death, with blood he seal'd 
A testament of noble-ending love. 
The pretty and sweet manner of it forc'd 
Those waters from me which I would have stopp'd; 
But I had not so much of man in me, 30 

And all my mother^ came into mine eyes 
And gave me up to tears. 

K Hen. I blame you not; 

For, hearing this, I must perforce compound 
With mistful eyes, or they will issue too^. [Alarum, 



SCENE VII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 95 

But, hark! what new alarum is this same? 

The French have reinforc'd their scatter'd men; 

Then every soldier kill his prisoners^; 

Give the word through. [Exeunt. 



Scene VII. Another part of the field. 
Enter Fluellen and Gower. 

Flu. Kill the boys and the luggage! ^tis expressly against 
the law of arms. 'Tis as arrant a piece of knavery, 
mark you now, as can be offer't; in your conscience, 
now, is it not? 

Gow. 'Tis certain there's not a boy left alive; and the cow- 
ardly rascals that ran from the battle ha' done this slaughter. 
Besides, they have burned and carried away all that 
was in the King's tent; wherefore the King, most worthily, 
hath caused every soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. 
O, 'tis a gallant king! lo 

Flu. Ay, he was born at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What 
call you the town's name where Alexander the Big was 
born! 

Gow. Alexander the Great. 

Flu. Why, I pray you, is not big great ? the big, or the great, 
or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all 
one reckonings, save the phrase is a little variations. 

Gow. I think Alexander the Great was born in Ma-edon; 
his father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it. 

Flu. I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is born. I 
tell you, captain, if you look in the maps of the 'orld, 
I warrant you sail find, in the comparisons between Mace- 
don and Monmouth, that the situations, look you, is 
both alike. There is a river in Macedon; and there is 



96 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

also moreover a river at Monmouth: it is called Wye 
at Monmouth; but it is out of my brains what is the name 
of the other river; but 'tis all one; 'tis alike as my fingers 
is to my fingers, and there is salmons in both. If you 
mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is 
come after it indifferent well; for there is figures in all 
things. Alexander, God knows, and you know, in his 
rages, and his furies, and his wraths, and his cholers, 
and his moods, and his displeasures, and his indignations, 
and also being a little intoxicates in his brains, did, in 
his ales and his angers, look you, kill his best friend, 
Cleitus. 36 

Gow. Our King is not like him in that: he never killed any 
of his friends. 

Flu. It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales 
out of my mouth, ere it is made and finished. I speak 
but in the figures and comparisons of it: as Alexander 
killed his friend Cleitus, being in his ales and his cups; 
so also Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his 
good judgements, turned away the fat knight with the 
great-belly-doublet: he was full of jests, and gibes, and 
knaveries, and mocks; I have forgot his name. 

Gow. Sir John Falstaff. 

Flu. That is he: I'll tell you there is good men- born at 
Monmouth. 

Gow. Here comes his majesty. 50 

Alarum. Enter King Henry and forces. Warwick, Glouces- 
ter, Exeter, and others. 

K. Hen. I was not angry since I came to France 
Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald. 
Ride thou unto the horsemen on yon hill: 
If they will fight with us, bid them come down, 



I! 



SCENE VII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 97 

Or void the field; they do offend our sight; 

If they'll do neither, we will come to them, 

And make them skirr away, as swift as stones 

Enforced from the old Assyrian slings; 

Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have, 

And not a man of them that we shall take 60 

Shall taste our mercy. Go and tell them so. 

Enter Montjoy. 

Exe. Here comes the herald of the French, my liege. 

Glo. His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be. 

K. Hen. How now! what means this, herald? know'st thou 
not 
That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransom^? 
Com'st thou again for ransom? 

Mont. No, great king; 

I come to thee for charitable license. 
That we may wander o'er this bloody field 
To book our dead, and then to bury them; 
To sort our nobles from our common men; 70 

For many of our princes — woe the while! — 
Lie drown' d and soak'd in mercenary blood. 
So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs 
In blood of princes; and their wounded steeds 
Fret fetlock deep in gore, and with wild rage 
Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters, 
Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great king. 
To view the field in safety, and dispose 
Of their dead bodies! 

K. Hen. I tell thee truly, herald, 

I know not if the day be ours or no; 80 

For yet a many of your horsemen peer 
And gallop o'er the field. 



98 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

Mont. The day is yours. 

K. Hen. Praised be God, and not our strength, for it! 
What is this castle call'd that stands hard by? 

Mont. They call it Agincourt. 

K. Hen. Then call we this the field of Agincourt, 
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. 

FUi. Your grandfather of famous memory, an 't please your 
majesty, and your great-uncle Edward the Black Prince 
of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles, fought a most 
brave battle here in France. 91 

K. Hen. They did, Fluellen. 

Flu. Your majesty says very true. If your majesties is 
remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a 
garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their 
Monmouth caps; which, your majesty know, to this 
hour is an honourable badge of the service; and I do 
believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek 
upon Saint Davy's day. 

K. Hen. I wear it for a memorable honour; 100 

For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman. 

Flu. All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's Welsh 
blood out of your body, I can tell you that. God bless 
it and preserve it, as long as it pleases his grace, and his 
majesty too! 

K. Hen. Thanks, good my countryman. 

Flu. By Jeshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I care 
not who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld. I need 
not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be God, so 
long as your majesty is an honest man. no 

K. Hen. God keep me so! Our heralds go with him; 
Bring me just notice of the numbers dead 
On both our parts. Call yonder fellow hither. 

[Points to Williams. Exeunt Heralds with Mont joy. 



SCENE VII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 99 

Exe. Soldier, you must come to the King. 

K. Hen. Soldier, why wearest thou that glove in thy cap? 

Will. An 't^' please your majesty, 'tis the gage^ of one 
that I should hght withal, if he be alive. 

K. Hen. An Englishman? 

Will. An 't please your majesty, a rascal that swaggered 
with me last night; who, if alive, and ever dare to chal- 
lenge^^ this glove, I have sworn to take him a box o' 
the ear; or if I can see my glove in his cap, which he 
swore, as he was a soldier, he would wear if alive, I will 
strike it out soundly. ' 124 

K. Hen. What think you. Captain Fluellen? is it fit this 
soldier keep his oath? 

Flu. He is a craven and a villain else, an 't please your 
majesty, in my conscience. 

K. Hen. It may be his enemy is a gentleman of great sort, 
quite from^' the answer of his degree^. 

Flu. Though he be as good a gentleman as the devil is, 
as Lucifer and Belzebub himself, it is necessary, look 
your grace, that he keep his vow and his oath. If he be 
perjured, see you now, his reputation is as arrant a vil- 
lain and a Jacksauce^, as ever his black shoe trod upon 
God's ground and his earth, in my conscience, la! 136 

K. Hen. Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meetest 
the fellow. 

Will. So I will, my liege, as I live. 

K. Hen. Who servest thou under? 

Will. Under Captain Gower, my liege. 

Flu. -Gower is a good captain, and is good knowledge and 
literatured in the wars. 

K. Hen. Call him hither to me, soldier. 144 

Will. I will, my liege. [Exit. 

K. Hen. Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour"*^ for me, 



100 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



I ACT IV 



and stick it in thy cap; when Alen^on and myself were 
down together, I plucked this glove from his helm. If 
any man challenge^ this, he is a friend to Alen^on, and 
an enemy to our person; if thou encounter any such, 
apprehend him, an° thou dost me love. 

Flu. Your grace doo's me as great honours as can be de- 
sired in the hearts of his subjects. I would fain see the 
man, that has but two legs, that shall find himself ag- 
grieved at this glove; that is all; but I would fain see it 
once, an please God of his grace that I might see. 156 

K. Hen. Knowest thou Gower? 

Flu. He is my dear friend, an please you. 

K. Hen. Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent. 

Flu. I will fetch him. [Exit. 

K. Hen. My Lord of Warwick, and my brother Gloucester, 
Follow Fluellen closely at the heels. 
The glove which I have given him for a favour^ 
May haply purchase him a box o' the ear; 
It is the soldier's; I by bargain should 
. Wear it myself. Follow, good cousin Warwick. 
If that the soldier strike him, as I judge 
By his blunt bearing he will keep his word, 
Some sudden mischief may arise of it; 
For I do know Fluellen valiant 170 

And, touch' d with choler, hot as gunpowder, 
And quickly will return an injury. 
Follow, and see there be no harm between them. 
Go you with me, uncle of Exeter. [Exeunt. 



SCENE VIII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 101 

Scene VIII. Before King Henry's pavilion. 
Enter Gower and Williams. 
Will. I warrant it is to knight you, captain. 

Enter Fluellen. 

Fill. God's will and his pleasure, captain, I beseech you 
now, come apace to the KLing; there is more good toward 
you peradventure than is in your knowledge to dream of. 

Will. Sir, know you this glove? 

Flu. Kjiow the glove! I know the glove is a glove. 

Will. I know this; and thus I challenge^ it. [Strikes him. 

Flu. 'Sbloodl^ an arrant traitor as any is in the universal 
world, or in France, or in England I 

Gow. How now, sir! you villain! lo 

Will. Do you think I'll be forsworn? 

Flu. Stand away, Captain Gower; I will give treason his 
payment into blows, I warrant you. 

Will. I am no traitor. 

Flu. That's a lie in thy throat. I charge you in his majesty's 
n^me, apprehend him; he's a friend of the Duke Alenyon's. 

Enter Warv^ick and Gloucester. 

War. How now, how now! what's the matter? 

Flu. My Lord of Warwick, here is — praised be God for 
it! — a most contagious treason come to light, look you, 
as you shall desire in a summer's day. Here is his majesty. 
Enter King Henry and Exeter. 

K. Hen. How now! what's the matter? 21 

Flu. My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that, look your 

grace, has struck the glove which your majesty is take 

out of the helmet of Alen^on. 
Will. My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow of it; 



102 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

and he that I gave it to in change^ promised to wear it f 
in his cap; I promised to strike him, if he did; I met 
this man with my glove in his cap, and I have been as 
good as my word. 

Flu. Your majesty hear now, saving your majesty's manhood, 
what an arrant, rascally, beggarly, lousy knave it is. I 
hope your majesty is bear me testimony and witness, 
and will avouchment, that this is the glove of Alenfon, 
that your majesty is give me, in your conscience, now? 

K, Hen. Give me thy glove^, soldier; look, here is the fel- 
low of it. 36 
'Twas I, indeed, thou promisedst to strike; 
And thou hast given me most bitter terms. 

Flu. An please your majesty, let his neck answer for it 
if there is any martial law in the world. 

K. Hen. How canst thou make me satisfaction? 

Will. All offences, my lord, come from the heart; never 
came any from mine that might offend your majesty. 

K. Hen. It was ourself thou didst abuse. 

Will. Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared 
to me but as a common man; witness the night, your 
garments, your lowliness; and what your highness suf- 
fered under that shape, I beseech you take it for your 
own fault and not mine; for had you been as I took you 
for, I made no offence; therefore, I beseech your highness 
pardon me. 51 

K. Hen. Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns. 
And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow; 
And wear it for an honour in thy cap 
Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns; 
And, captain, you must needs be friends with him. 

Flu. By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle enough 
in his belly. Hold, there is twelve pence for you; and 



SCENE VIII] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 103 

I pray you to serve God, and keep you out of brawls, 
and brabbles, and quarrels, and dissensions, and, I 
warrant you, it is the better for you. 6i 

WilL I will none of your money. 

Fill. It is with a good will; I can tell you, it will serve you 
to mend your shoes. Come, wherefore should you be 
so bashful? your shoes is not so good. 'Tis a good sil- 
ling, I warrant you, or I will change it. 

Enter an English Herald. 

K. Hen. Now, herald, are the dead numbered? 

Her. Here is the number of the slaughter'd French. 

K. Hen. What prisoners of good sort are taken, uncle? 

Exe. Charles Duke of Orleans, nephew to the King; 70 
John Duke of Bourbon, and Lord Bouciqualt; 
Of other lords and barons, knights and squires, 
Full fifteen hundred, besides common men. 

K. Hen. This note doth tell me of ten thousand French 
That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number, 
And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead 
One hundred twenty six: added to these, 
Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen, 
Eight thousand and four hundred; of the which, 
Five hundred were but yesterday dubb'd knights; 80 
So that, in these ten thousand they have lost, 
There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries; 
The rest are princes, barons, lords, knights, squires, 
And gentlemen of blood and quality. 
The names of those their nobles that lie dead: 
Charles Delabreth, High Constable of France; 
Jacques of Chatillon, Admiral of France; 
The master of the cross-bows. Lord Rambures; 
Great Master of France; the brave Sir Guichard Dauphin, 



104 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act iv 

John Duke of Alenjon; Anthony Duke of Brabant, 90 
The brother to the Duke of Burgundy, 
And Edward Duke of Bar: of lusty earls, 
Grandpre and Roussi, Fauconberg and Foix, 
Beaumont and Marie, Vaudemont and Lestrale. 
Here was a royal fellowship of death! 
Where is the number of our English dead? 

[Herald shows him another paper. 
Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, 
Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, esquire: 
None else of name; and of all other men 
But five and twenty. O God, thy arm was here; 100 
And not to us, but to thy arm alone, 
Ascribe we all! When, without stratagem. 
But in plain shock and even play of battle, 
Was ever known so great and little loss 
On one part and on the other? Take it, God, 
For it is none but thine! 

Exe. 'Tis wonderful! 

K. Hen. Come, go we in procession to the village; 
And be it death proclaimed through our host 
To boast of this or take that praise from God 
Which is his only. no 

Flu. Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell how 
many is killed? 

K. Hen. Yes, captain; but with this acknowledgement. 
That God fought for us. 

Flu. Yes, my conscience, he did us great good. 

K. Hen. Do we all holy rites; 

Let there be sung Non nobis and Te Deum^; 
The dead with charity enclos'd in clay, 
And then to Calais; and to England then; 
Where ne'er from France arriv'd more happy men. 120 

[Exeunt. 



PRO.] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 105 



ACT V 

PROLOGUE 

Enter Chorus 

Chor. Vouchsafe to those that have not read the story, 
That I may prompt them; and of such as have, 
I humbly pray them to admit the excuse 
Of time, of numbers, and due course of things. 
Which cannot in their huge and proper Hfe 
Be here presented. Now we bear the King 
Toward Calais. Grant him there; there seen, 
Heave him away upon your winged thoughts 
Athwart the sea. Behold, the English beach 
Pales" in the flood with men, with wives and boys, lo 
Whose shouts and claps out-voice the deep-mouth'd sea, 
Which Hke a mighty whiffler""^ 'fore the King 
Seems to prepare his way. So let him land, 
And solemnly see him set on to London. 
So swift a pace hath thought that even now 
You may imagine him upon Blackheath^; 
Where that his lords desire him to have borne 
His bruised helmet and his bended sword 
Before him through the city; he forbids it. 
Being free from vainness and self-grievous pride, 20 
Giving full trophy, signal, and ostent 
Quite from himself to God. But now behold. 
In the quick forge and working-house of thought, 
How London doth pour out her citizens! 
The mayor and all his brethren in best sort, 
Like to the senators of the antique Rome, 



106 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

With the plebeians swarming at their heels, 

Go forth and fetch their conquering Caesar in; 

As, by a lower but loving likelihood, 

Were now the general of our gracious Empress^, 

As in good time he may, from Ireland coming, 

Bringing rebellion broached on his sword. 

How many would the peaceful city quit. 

To welcome him! much more, and much more cause, 

Did they this Harry. Now in London place him; 

As yet the lamentation of the French 

Invites the King of England's stay at home; 

The Emperor's^ coming in behalf of France, 

To order peace between them; and omit 

All the occurrences, whatever chanc'd, 40 

Till Harry's back-return again to France. 

There must we bring him; and myself have play'd 

The interim, by remembering^^ you 'tis past. 

Then brook^^ abridgement, and your eyes advance. 

After your thoughts, straight back again to France. 

[Exit. 

Scene I. France. The English camp. 
Enter Fluellen and Gower. 

Gow. Nay, that's right; but why wear you your leek to-day? 
Saint Davy's'^ day is past. 

Flu. There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in 
all things. I will tell you, asse my friend. Captain Gower: 
The rascally, scald, beggarly, lousy, bragging knave. 
Pistol, which you and yourself and all the world know 
to be no better than a fellow, look you now, of no merits, 
he is come to me and brings me bread and salt yester- 



SCENE I] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 107 

day, look you, and bid me eat my leek. It was in a place 
where I could not breed no contention with him; but I 
will be so bold as to wear it in my cap till I see him once 
again, and then I will tell him a little piece of my desires. 

Enter Pistol. 

Gow. Why, here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock. 

Flu. 'Tis no matter for his swellings nor his turkey-cocks. 
God bless you, Aimchient Pistol! you scurvy, lousy knave, 
God bless you! i6 

Pist. Ha! art thou bedlam^? dost thou thirst, base Trojan^, 
To have me fold up Parca's^ fatal web? 
Hence! I am qualmish at the smell of leek. 

Flu. I beseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave, at my 
desires, and my requests, and my petitions, to eat, look 
you, this leek. Because, look you, you do not love it, 
nor your affections and your appetites and your diges- 
tions doo's not agree with it, I would desire you to eat it. 

Pist. Not for Cadwallader and all his goats^. 

Flu. There is one goat for you. [Strikes him. 

Will you be so good, scald knave, as eat it? 

Pist. Base Trojan, thou shalt die. 28 

Flu. You say very true, scald knave, when God's will is; 
I will desire you to live in the mean time, and eat your 
victuals; come, there is sauce for it. [Strikes him.] You 
called me yesterday mountain-squire; but I will make 
you to-day a squire of low degree. I pray you, fall to; 
if you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek. 

Gow. Enough, captain; you have astonished him. 

Flu. I say, I will make him eat some part of my leek, 
or I will beat his pate four days. Bite, I pray you; it 
is good for your green wound and your bloody coxcomb^^. 

Pist. Must I bite? 



108 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

Flu. Yes, certainly, and out of doubt, and out of question 
too, and ambiguities. 41 

Pist. By this leek, I will most horribly revenge. I eat, and 
yet I swear — 

Flu. Eat, I pray you. Will you have some more sauce to 
your leek? there is not enough leek to swear by. 

Pist. Quiet thy cudgel; thou dost see I eat. 

Flu. Much good do you, scald knave, heartily. Nay, pray 
you, throw none away; the skin is good for your broken 
coxcomb. When you take occasions to see leeks here- 
after, I pray you, mock at 'em; that is all. 50 

Pist. Good. 

Flu. Ay, leeks is good! hold you, there is a groat^ to heal 
your pate. 

Pist. Me a groat! 

Flu. Yes, verily and in truth you shall take it; or I have 
another leek in my pocket, which you shall eat. 

Pist. I take thy groat in earnest^ of revenge. 

Flu. If I owe you any thing, I will pay you in cudgels: you 
shall be a woodmonger, and buy nothing of me but cud- 
gels. God b' wi' you, and keep you, and heal your pate. 

[Exit. 

Pist. All hell shall stir for this. 61 

Gow. Go, go; you are a counterfeit cowardly knave. Will 
you mock at an ancient tradition, begun upon an honour- 
able respect^, and worn as a memorable trophy of pre- 
deceased valour, and dare not avouch in your deeds any 
of your words? I have seen you gleeking^ and galling 
at this gentleman twice or thrice. You thought, because 
he could not speak English in the native garb, he could 
not therefore handle an English cudgel. You find it 
otherwise; and henceforth let a Welsh correction teach 
you a good English condition. Fare ye well. [Exit. 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 109 

PisL Doth Fortune play the huswife''- with me now? 72 
News have I that my Nell is dead i' th' spital; 
And there my rendezvous is quite cut off. 
Old I do wax; and from my weary limbs 
Honour is cudgell'd. Well, bawd I'll turn, 
And something lean to cutpurse of quick hand. 
To England will I steal, and there I'll steal; 
And patches will I get unto these scars, 
And swear I got them in the Gallia wars. [Exit. 




QUEEN ISABEL OF FRANCE 

Scene II. France. A Royal palace. 

Enter, at one door, King Henry, Exeter, Bedford, 
Gloucester, Warv^ick, Westmoreland, and other Lords ; 
at another, the French King, Queen Isabel, the Prin- 
cess Katharine, Alice, and other Ladies; the Duke 
of Burgundy, and his train. 

K. Hen. Peace to this meeting, wherefore we are metl 
Unto our brother France, and to our sister. 
Health and fair time of day; joy and good wishes 



110 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

To our most fair and princely cousin Katharine; 

And, as a branch and member of this royalty, 

By whom this great assembly is contriv'd. 

We do salute you, Duke of Burgundy; 

And, princes French, and peers, health to you all! 

Fr. King. Right joyous are we to behold your face. 

Most worthy brother England; fairly met; lo 

So are you, princes English, every one. 

Q. Isa. So happy be the issue, brother England, 
Of this good day and of this gracious meeting. 
As we are now glad to behold your eyes; 
Your eyes, which hitherto have borne in them 
Against the French, that met them in their bent, 
The fatal balls of murdering basilisks^ ^'^; 
The venom of such looks, we fairly hope, 
Have lost their quality; and that this day 
Shall change all griefs and quarrels into love. 20 

K. Hen. To cry amen to that, thus we appear. 

Q. Isa. You English princes all, I do salute you. 

Bur. My duty to you both, on equal love. 

Great Kings of France and England! That I have 

labour'd. 
With all my wits, my pains, and strong endeavours, 
To bring your most imperial majesties 
Unto this bar and royal interview^, - 
Your mightiness on both parts best can witness. 
Since then my ofhce hath so far prevail'd 
That, face to face and royal eye to eye, 30 

You have congreeted", let it not disgrace me, 
If I demand, before this royal view, 
What rub^^ or what impediment there is, 
Why that the naked, poor, and mangl'd Peace, 
Dear nurse of arts, plenties, and joyful births, 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 111 

Should not in this best garden of the world, 
Our fertile France, put up her lovely visage? 
Alas, she hath from France too long been chas'd, 
And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps, 
Corrupting in it^ own fertility. 40 

Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart, 
Unpruned dies; her hedges even-pleach' d^, 
Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair, 
Put forth dis6rder'd twigs; her fallow leas 
The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory 
Doth root upon, while that the coulter^ rusts 
That should deracinate^ such savagery; 
The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth 
The freckl'd cowslip, burnet, and green clover, 
Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, 50 

Conceives by idleness, and nothing teems 
But hateful docks, rough thistles, kexes, burs, 
Losing both beauty and utility; • 

And as our vineyards, fallows^, meads, and hedges. 
Defective in their natures, grow to wildness. 
Even so our houses and ourselves and children 
Have lost, or do not learn for want of time. 
The sciences that should become our country; 
But grow like savages, — as soldiers will 
That nothing do but meditate on blood, — 60 

To swearing and stern looks, diffus'd attire 
And every thing that seems unnatural. 
Which to reduce into our former favour 
You are assembl'd; and my speech entreats 
That I may know the let°^, why gentle Peace 
Should not expel these inconveniences 
And bless us with her former qualities. 
K. Hen. If, Duke of Burgundy, you would the peace, 



112 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

Whose want gives growth to the imperfections 

Which you have cited, you must buy that peace 70 

With full accord to all our just demands, 

Whose tenours and particular effects 

You have enschedul'd briefly in your hands. 

Bur. The King hath heard them; to the which as yet 
There is no answer made. 

K. Hen. Well then, the peace, 

Which you before so urg'd, lies in his answer. 

Fr. King. I have but with a cursorary eye 

O'erglanc'd the articles. Pleaseth your grace 

To appoint some of your council presently"^ 

To sit with us once more, vv^ith better heed 80 

To re-survey them, we will suddenly 

Pass our accept^ and peremptory answer. 

K. Hen. Brother, we shall. Go, uncle Exeter, 

And brother Clarence, and you, brother Gloucester, 

Warwick, and Huntingdon, go with the King; 

And take with you free power to ratify, 

Augment, or alter, as your wisdoms best 

Shall see advantageable for our dignity, 

Any thing in or out of our demands. 

And we'll consign" thereto. Will you, fair sister, 90 

Go with the princes, or stay here with us? 

Q. Isa. Our gracious brother, I will go with them; 
Haply a woman's voice may do some good, 
When articles too nicely"^ urg'd be stood on. 

K. Hen. Yet leave our cousin Katharine here with us; 
She is our capital demand, compris'd 
Within the fore-rank of our articles. 

Q. Isa. She hath good leave. 

\Exeunt all except Henry, Katharine, and Alice, 



SCENE ii] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 113 

K. Hen. i Fair Katharine, and most fair, 

Will you vouchsafe to teach a soldier terms 
Such as will enter at a lady's ear loo 

And plead his love-suit to her gentle heart? 

Kath. Your majesty shall mock at me; I cannot speak 
your England. 

K. Hen. O fair Katharine, if you will love me soundly with 
your French heart, I will be glad to hear you confess it 
brokenly with your English tongue. Do you like me, 
Kate? 

Kath. Pardonnez-moi, I cannot tell vat is "Hke me." 

A'. Hen. An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an 
angel. no 

Kath. Que dit-il? que je suis semblable a les anges^? 

Alice. Oui, vraiment, sauf votre grace, ainsi dit-il^. 

K. Hen. I said so, dear Katharine; and I must not blush 
to affirm it. 

Kath. O bon Dieu! les langues des hommes sont pleines 
de tromperies. 

K. Hen. What says she, fair one? that the tongues of men 
are full of deceits? 

Alice. Oui, dat de tongues of de mans is be full of deceits: 
dat is de Princess^. 120 

K. Hen. The Princess is the better Englishwoman. I' 
faith, Kate, my wooing is fit for thy understanding. I 
am glad thou canst speak no better English; for, if thou 
couldst, thou wouldst find me such a plain king that 
thou wouldst think I had sold my farm to buy my crown. 
I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say, 
*'I love you": then if you urge me farther than to say, 
'*do you in faith?" I wear out my suit. Give me your 
answer; i' faith, do, and so clap hands^ and a bargain; 
how say you, lady? ' 130 



114 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

Kath. Sauf votre honneur, me understand well. 

K. Hen. Marry^, if you would put me to verses or to dance 
for your sake, Kate, why you undid me. For the one, 
I have neither words nor measure; and for the other, I 
have no strength in measure, yet a reasonable measure 
. in strength^. If I could win a lady at leap-frog, or by 
vaulting into my saddle with my armour on my back, 
under the correction of bragging be it spoken, I should 
quickly leap into a wife. Or if I might buffet^^ for my 
love, or bound my horse for her favours, I could lay on 
like a butcher, and sit like a jack-an-apes^, never off. 
But, before God, Kate, I cannot look greenly nor gasp 
out my eloquence, nor I have no cunning in protestation; 
only downright oaths, which I never use till urged, nor 
never break for urging. If thou canst love a fellow of 
this temper, Kate, whose face is not worth sim-burning, 
that never looks in his glass for love of any thing he sees 
there, let thine eye be thy cook^^ I speak to thee plain 
soldier. If thou canst love me for this, take me; if not, 
to say to thee that I shall die, is true; but for thy love, 
by the Lord, no; yet I love thee too. And while thou 
livest, dear Kate, take a fellow of plain and uncoined 
constancy; for he perforce must do thee right, because 
he hath not the gift to woo in other places. For these 
fellows of infinite tongue, that can rhymx themselves into 
ladies' favours, they do always reason themselves out again. 
What!. a speaker is but a prater; a rhyme is but a ballad. 
A good leg will fall; a straight back will stoop; a black 
beard will turn white; a curled pate will grow bald; a 
fair face will wither; a full eye will wax hollow: but a 
good heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon; or rather 
the sun and not the moon; for it shines bright and never 
changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 115 

such a one, take me; and take me, take a soldier; take 
a soldier, take a king. And what sayest thou then to my 
love? Speak, my fair, and fairly, I pray thee. 167 

Kath. Is it possible dat I should love de enemy of France? 

K. Hen. No; it is not possible you should love the enemy 
of France, Kate; but, in loving me, you should love the 
friend of France; for I love France so well that I will 
not part with a village of it; I will have it all mine. And, 
Kate, when France is mine and I am yours, then yours 
is France and you are mine. 

Kath. I cannot tell wat is dat. . 175 

K. Hen. No, Kate? I will tell thee in French; which I am 
sure will hang upon my tongue like a new-married wife 
about her husband's neck, hardly to be shook off. Je 
quand sur le possession de France, et quand vous avez 
le possession de moi'^, — let me see, what then ? Saint 
Denis^ be my speed I — done votre est France et vous 
etes mienne. It is as easy for me, Kate, to conquer the 
kingdom as to speak so much more French. I shall 
never move thee in French, unless it be to laugh at me. 

Kath. Sauf votre honneUr, le Francois que vous parlez, il 
est meilleur que I'Anglois lequel je parle"^. 

K. Hen. No, faith, is 't not, Kate: but thy speaking of my 
tongue, and I thine, most truly-falsely, must needs be 
granted to be much at one. But, Kate, dost thou imder- 
stand thus much English, canst thou love me? 190 

Kath. I cannot tell. 

K. Hen. Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? I'll ask 
them. Come, I know thou lovest me; and at night, when 
you come into your closet^^, you'll question this gentle- 
woman about me; and I know, Kate, you will to her 
dispraise those parts in me that you love with your heart. 
But, good Kate, mock me mercifully; the rather, gentle 



116 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act V 

princess, because I love thee cruelly. If ever thou beest 
mine, Kate, as I have a saving faith within me tells me 
thou shalt, I get thee with scambling". What sayest Jj 
thou, my fair flower-de-luce? 201 

Kath. I do not know dat. 

K. Hen. No; 't is hereafter to know, but now to promise. 
How answer you, la plus belle Katharine du monde, 
mon tres cher et devin deesse^'? 

Kath. Your majestee ave fausse French enough to deceive 
de most sage demoiselle dat is en France. 

K. Hen. Now, fie upon my false French! By mine honour, 
in true English, I love thee, Kate; by which honour I 
dare not swear thou lovest me; yet my blood begins to 
flatter me that thou dost, notwithstanding the poor and 
untempering effect on my visage. Now, beshrew my 
father's ambition! he was thinking of civil wars whenM| 
he got me; therefore was I created with a stubborn out- 
side, with an aspect of iron, that, when I come to woo 
ladies, I fright them. But, in faith, Kate, the elder I 
wax, the better I shall appear: my comfort is, that old 
age, that ill layer up of beauty, can do no more spoil 
upon my face; thou hast me, if thou hast me, at the worst; 
and thou shalt wear me, if thou wear me, better and better. 
And therefore tell me, most fair Katharine, will you have 
me? Put off your maiden blushes; avouch the thoughts 
of your heart with the looks of an empress; take me by 
the hand, and say, "Harry of England, I am thine"; 
which word thou shalt no sooner bless mine ear withal, 
but I will tell thee aloud, England is thine, Ireland is 
thine, France is thine, and Henry Plantagenet is thine; 
who, though I speak it before his face, if he be not fellow 
with the best king, thou shalt find the best king of good 
fellows. Come, your answer in broken music^; for thy 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 117 

voice is music and thy English broken; therefore, queen 
of all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken Eng- 
lish; wilt thou have me? 233 

Kath. Dat is as it sail please de roi mon pbre. 

K. Hen. Nay, it will please him well, Kate; it shall please 
him, Kate. 

Kath. Den it sail also content me. 

K. Hen. Upon that I kiss your hand, and call you my queen. 

Kath. Laissez, mon seigneur, laissez, laissez: ma foi, je ne 
veux point que vous abaissiez votre grandeur en baisant 
la main d'une de votre seigneurie indigne serviteur; 
excusez-moi, je vous suppHe, mon trespuissant seigneur^. 

K. Hen. Then I will kiss your lips, Kate. 243 

Kath. Les dames et demoiselles pour etre baisees devant 
leur noces, il n'est pas la coutume de France. 

K. Hen. Madam my interpreter, what says she? 

Alice. Dat it is not be de fashion pour les ladies of France, — 
I cannot tell wat is baiser en Anglish. 

K. Hen. To kiss. 

Alice. Your majesty entendre bettre que moi. 

K. Hen. It is not a fashion for the maids in France to kiss 
before they are married, would she say? 

Alice. Oui, vraiment. 253 

K. Hen. O Kate, nice customs curtsy to great kings. Dear 
Kate, you and I cannot be confined within the weak 
list of a country's fashion. We are the makers of man- 
ners, Kate; and the liberty that foUovv^s our places stops 
the mouth of all find-faults; as I will do yours, for up- 
holding the nice fashion of your country in denying me 
a kiss: therefore, patiently and yielding. [Kissing her.] 
You have witchcraft in your hps, Kate; there is more 
eloquence in a sugar touch of them than in the tongues 
of the French council; and they should sooner persuade 



118 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



[act V 




KATHARINE 



Harry of England than a general petition of monarchs. 
Here comes your father. 265 

Re-enter the French King and his Queen, Burgundy, and 

other Lords. 

Bur. God save your majesty 1 my royal cousin, teach you 
our princess English? 

K Hen. I would have her learn, my fair cousin, how per- 
fectly I love her; and that is good English. 

Bur. Is she not apt? 

K. Hen. Our tongue is rough, coz, and my condition is 
not smooth; so that, having neither the voice nor the 
heart of flattery about me, I cannot so conjure up the 
spirit of love in her, that he will appear in his true hkeness. 

Bur. Pardon the frankness of my mirth, if I answer you 



SCENE II] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 119 

for that. If you would conjure in her, you must make 
a circle; if conjure up love in her in his true likeness, 
he must appear naked and blind. It were, my lord, 
a hard condition for a maid to consign to. 279 

K. Hen. Yet they do wink and yield, as Jove is blind and 
enforces. 

Bur. They are then excused, my lord, when they see not 
what they do. 

K. Hen. Then, good my lord, teach your cousin to con- 
sent winking. 

Bur. I will wink on her to consent, my lord, if you will 
teach her to know my meaning; for maids, well summered 
and warm kept, are Hke flies at Bartholomew-tide, blind, 
though they have their eyes. 289 

K. Hen. This moral ties me over to time and a hot summer; 
and so I shall catch the fly, your cousin, in the latter 
end and she must be blind too. 

Bur. As love is, my lord, before it loves. 

K. Hen. It is so; and you may, some of you, thank love 
for my blindness, who cannot see many a fair French 
city for one fair French maid that stands in my way. 

Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you see them perspectively^, the 
cities turned into a maid; for they are all girdled with 
maiden walls that war hath never entered. 

K. Hen. Shall Kate be my wife? 300 

Fr. King. So please you. 

K. Hen. I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of 
may wait on her; so the maid that stood in the way for 
my wish shall show me the way to my will. 

Fr. King. We have consented to all terms of reason. 

K. Hen. Is 't so, my lords of England? 

West. The King hath granted every article: 
His daughter first, and then in sequel all, 



120 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [act v 

According to their firm proposed natures. 

Exe. Only he hath not yet subscribed this, where your maj- 
esty demands, that the King of France, having any oc- J 
casion to write for matter of grant, shall name your 
highness in this form and with this addition, in French, 
Notre tres-cher fils Henri, Roi d'Angleterre, Heritier de 
France; and thus in Latin, Praeclarissimus filius noster 
Henricus, Rex Angliae, et Hasres Franciae. 316 

Fr. King. Nor this I have not, brother, so deni'd, 
But your request shall make me let it pass. 

K. Hen. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance, 
Let that one article rank with the rest; 
And thereupon give me your daughter. 

Fr. King. Take her, fair son, and from her blood raise up 
I^sue to me; that the contending kingdoms 
Of France and England, whose very shores look pale 
With envy of each other's happiness, 
May cease their hatred, and this dear conjunction 
Plant neighbourhood and Christian-like accord 
In their sweet bosoms, that never war advance 
His bleeding sword 'twixt England and fair France. 

All. Amen! 330 

K. Hen. Now, welcome, Kate; and bear me witness all, 
That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen. [Flourish 

Q. Isa. God, the best maker of all marriages. 

Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one! 
As man and wife, being two, are one in love, 
So be there 'twixt your kingdoms such a spousal, 
That never may ill office, or fell jealousy. 
Which troubles oft the bed of blessed marriage, 
Thrust in between the paction^ of "these kingdoms, 
To make divorce of their incorporate league; 34* 

That English may as French, French Englishmen 



-le 

J 






SCENE n] KING HENRY THE FIFTH 121 

Receive each other. God speak this Amen I 
All. Amen! 
K. Hen. Prepare we for our marriage; on which day, 

My Lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath, 

And all the peers', for surety of our leagues. 

Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me; 

And may our oaths well kept and prosperous be! 

[Sennet^. Exeunt. 




EPILOGUE 

Enter Chorus. 

Chor. Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen. 
Our bending author hath pursu'd the story, 
In little room confining mighty men, 
MangHng by starts^ the full course of their glory. 
Small time, but in that small most greatly liv'd 
This star of England. Fortune made his sword; 
By which the world's best garden he achiev'd, 
And of it left his son imperial lord. 
Henry the Sixth, in infant bands crown' d King 
Of France and England, did this king succeed; lo 

Whose state so many had the managing. 
That they lost France and made his England bleed; 
Which oft our stage hath shown; and for their sake, 
In your fair minds let this acceptance take. [Exit. 



NOTES 

{In all matters of large interest, these Notes undertake only to suggest 
sources of information, not to give it.) 

PROLOGUE 

11. cockpit: figurative for the theatre in which the play was being 
performed; it was so called because of its circular shape like the places 
where cockfights were held. The play was probably being performed 
in the Globe theatre, 

13. wooden : the Globe theatre, really hexagonal in shape. For a 
description of theatres in Shakespeare's day, see Edward Dowden's 
Shakespeare Primer, Chapter I. 

ACT I 

Scene I 

1. Canterbury : the Archbishop of Canterbury was head of the Church 
of England, and in Henry's time was also a powerful political leader. 
Unlike most American churches, the Church of England has long been 
a great landholder, and the Bishops hold seats in the House of Lords, 
ex officio. 

29. the offending Adam: a reference to the religious belief that 
through the fall of Adam {Genesis, III) all people are born in sin. 

30. as a paradise : see above. After Adam and Eve were driven out 
of Paradise, there was of course no more sin in the place. 

36, and passim, his: its, as frequently in Shakespeare. Not till about 
i6oo did there begin to come into use our familiar possessive its. His did 
duty for both the masculine and neuter till that time, when it was used 
a little (see V, ii, 40) ; but it was not pleasing, and then the modern its 
came in. 

61, 62. And wholesome . . . baser quality : a bit of untrue natural 
history, so common at that time, with the usual moral teaching. Possibly 
connected with the prevailing idea that near a fever-breeding swamp will 
grow a plant to cure the fever, and near a poisonous plant will grow 
another plant to cure the poison, etc. The "fruit of baser quality" 
would use only the "baser" qualities of the earth, leaving the good 
qualities for the strawberries. 

81. withal: has three meanings in Shakespeare. See the New In- 
ternational Dictionary. Which is intended here ? Note other cases later. 

98. I'll wait upon you: I will attend you. 



SCENE II] NOTES 123 

Scene II 
40. gloze: gloss, explain, translate. 
45. floods: rivers. 

74. Convey'd himself as: pretended to be. 

75, Charlemain: Charles the Bold, grandson of Charles the Great, who 
is now usually called Charlemagne. Pupils may be sent to look up the 
people in 11. 58-82 . Much is to be found in Holinshed's Chronicle. 

104-106. great-grandsire's . . . tragedy: for the story of Edward 
III at the battle of Cressy, watching the brave deeds of his son, the Black 
Prince, see Holinshed's Chronicle History, quoted in Rolfe's edition of this 
play, or any history of the battle of Cressy. 

137. lay down our proportions : set aside the necessary number of 
troops. 

140. marches: border, edge, boundary. In early times, the boundary 
between two countries like Scotland and England was a wild, uninhabited 
tract, kept so by the frequent forays from one land into the other. Later, 
the word march, which means really a boundary line (compare mark), 
was applied to the whole tract which then served as a boundary. 

143. coursing snatchers: mounted raiders, who seized their booty 
and returned across the border. 

161. King of Scots: King David II was taken prisoner by Queen 
Philippa at the battle of Neville's Cross, in October, 1346, but was not 
sent to France. 

169. being in prey : a term in falconry, meaning being in pursuit of 
prey. 

180-183. For government . . . Like music : see New Internahonal 
Dictionary for consent"^, congreeing, and closC^; then let the pupils ex- 
plain the meaning of the whole sentence. 

207. loosed several ways: shot in several directions. 

225. Or: either, as frequently in Shakespeare. Watch for other in- 
stances, usually in connection with the modern use of or following, as 
here. See II, ii, 132, etc. 

233. waxen epitaph: one that would be very perishable. The pas- 
sage means, not honored even with a perishable epitaph. 

235. cousin: could be used of any remote relationship. 

267. comes o'er us . . . days : twits us of our wilder days. These 
wilder days are stirringly narrated in the two parts of the play King 
Henry IV. 

276. For that : for that purpose. 

282. gun-stones : since ordinary stones were often used for balls in 
primitive cannon, any kind of cannon ball was called a gun-stone. 

307. God before : may mean, before God, in the presence of God. 
Spoken reverentially, not vulgarly, like an ordinary oath. Henry is 
religious; see Une 303. 



124 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



[Act II 




' HIDES A SWORD 



WITH CROWNS ■ 



ACT II 

PROLOGUE 
9. hides a sword: The cut here shown is from Holinshed's Chron- 
icle History, constantly consulted by Shakespeare. In ancient trophies 

such decoration of a sword is not un- 
usual. The hilts are the two projec- 
tions of the cross-bar on each sword. 

Scene I 

3. Ancient : corrupted from ensign, 
and may mean either the bearer of 
the flag, or the flag itself. Which here ? 
Notice the meaning of the names of 
these men: Nym is slang for steal, 
and of course Pistol is highly explo- 
sive. 

11. sworn brothers: not unusual 

then for two or more men to swear 

brotherhood, either by pricking their 

arms and signing their names in 

their own blood, or by dropping a few 

drops of the blood of each in a cup of wine and drinking that together, 

or by other such melodramatic methods. 

11. to France : for the war in France. 

15. That is my rest : in any betting game, the final stake on which or 
for which the game was played, was called the "rest." The figurative 
use here is obviously final comment or determination. 
15. rendezvous: of course a blunder, and for what? 
30. Lady : Mary, the mother of Christ, often used in oaths, frequently 
as Marry. Note the later appearance of that word. 
• 30. drawn: drawn his sword. 

34. Iceland dog: "A sort of shaggy, sharp-eared, white dog, formerly 
imported, or supposed to be imported, from Iceland as a lap-dog." 
Century Dictionary. 

47. Barbason: "the name of a fiend." GoUancz. 
55. exhale : to draw thy sword or to die ? 

63. couple a gorge : Pistol's attempt at French for coupe la gorge, or 
cut the throat. Compare IV, iv, 36. 

66. spital: colloquially for hospital. See V, i, 73. 
75-76. put thy face . . . warming-pan : an allusion to Bardolph's 
red nose, got by drinking. 

78. pudding: the term is still used in England for "sausage meat," 
which is used to stuff baked meats. 

89. As . . . compound: as we shall determine by fighting. 



Scene hi] NOTeS 125 

92. Sword is an oath : the signiJ&cance of this statement lies in the fact 
that swords were then frequently made so that the hilts with the handle 
and blade formed a cross, by which one could swear. Hence Hamlet 
asked Horatio and Marcellus to swear upon his sword not to tell that they 
had seen the ghost. (Ham. I, v, 149). 

109. quotidian tertian : a quotidian fever has daily recurring chills; a 
tertian has chills recurring every three days. Mrs. Quickly, like others 
of her friends, gets words mixed. Compare Pistol's "fracted and corrobo- 
rate," line 114. 

116. passes . . . careers: "indulges in sallies of wit." Temple. 
See Dictionary. 

Scene II 

43. On . . . advice: on further consideration of him. 
56. capital crimes : crimes that pertain to the head or life. Com- 
pare modern, capital punishment. 

58. dear : often used to intensify the meaning contained in the fol- 
lowing noun. Here it means great, excessive; compare line 181, and 

passim. 

61-63. Who are . . . to-day: who are the lately appointed com- 
missioners to the King of France; and in Cambridge's reply, for it means 
for my commission. In II, iv, 7 5, Exeter appears in France in their places. 
90. practices : plots; see Century Dictionary, 7. Compare lines 99 and 
144. 

134. modest complement: "corresponding outward appearance." 
Schmidt. Does not this rather mean, in complete modesty? 

136. purged: sound; that is cured from sickness. 

142. Another fall of man : Wliat is the allusion? See Genesis, III. 

192. signs of war advance : lift up the banners of war. 

Scene III 

11. christom child: "chrism-child. A child who dies within a month 
after baptism; so called from the custom of burying it in its white baptismal 
garment, or chrismal; hence, any innocent or very young child." Century 
Dictionary. 

16. a' babbled of green fields : the old editions read, "a Table of green 
fields," which means nothing. An early editor, Mr. Theobald, suggested 
it might be a misprint for the present reading. If that emendation is 
correct, it possibly means he tried to quote the 23rd Psalm. In the four 
plays where Falstaff appears, he shows evident traces of Puritanism 
from which he had fallen. It would be interesting for a good Bible 
student to run through both parts of Henry IV for the biblical allusions 
in Falstaff's speeches, or in those addressed to him. The abbreviation 
a' for he is a common colloquialism of the time. It is sometimes printed a, 

27, 29. of: against. 



126 



KING HENRY THE FIFTH 



[Act in 



35. black soul : an allusion to the presentation of hell as part of the 
stage in Miracle plays, and to the lost souls being represented by men 
dressed in black, and being surrounded with smoke and fire. 

42. Pitch and pay : pay down at once. 

46. Caveto : Latin for what ? 

47. clear thy crystals : either wipe thy eyes, or wash the glasses used 
over the bar, or more likely (since drinking glasses were not then com- 
mon) brighten up the decanters and fancy ornaments used about the bar. 

Scene IV 

25. Whitsun morris-dance : see Hone's Year Book, or New Inter- 
national Dictionary or Century Dictionary. 

34. modest in exception: mod- 
erate in taking exception to their 
speeches or demands. 

54. Cressy : look up the incidents 
of the battle in some good History of 
England. 

68. chase : eager pursuit of game. 
Not the same as in I, ii, 266, where 
this word is punned upon. 

91. evenly: fairly. 

102. bowels of the Lord : see Co- 
lossians, III, 12. The bowels were 
supposed to be the seat of mercy, as 
the heart, of love, and the stomach, 
of courage (see III, vii, 141). 

124. caves . . . France : to this day the low-lying limestone bluffs along 
the banks of the river Loire are honeycombed with caves for storing 
and curing wine, and with more pretentious dug-outs for human dwellings. 
These latter are fronted up even with the face of the ledge, have a door 
and windows only in front, and allow the chimneys often to stick up 
into the midst of vineyards or wheatfields above. 

133. mistress court: most beautiful tennis court 




A WHITSUN MORRIS-DANCE 

From a zyth Century woodcut 



ACT III 

PROLOGUE 

33. Alarum : from Italian all 'arme; a call to arms. It has the same 
derivation as alarm, but in Shakespeare's time was used especially for the 
bugle or other call to arms. 



Scene hi] NOTES 127 

Scene I 
7. blood: courage. 

14. Swill'd : swallowed by. Notice that the word is no longer thought 
suitable for poetry; it has lost caste, probably because of its unpleasant 
meaning. 

18. fathers of war proof : fathers tested in war. 

31,32. greyhounds . . . start: greyhounds in the leashes (by which 
they were tied together) eager for the start of the hunt. 

34. Saint George : the patron saint of England, as St. Patrick is of 
Ireland, and St. Andrew is of Scotland. Their three crosses, one for each 
saint, are combined in the English Union Jack, and symbolize the union 
of England, Scotland, and Ireland. For the legend of St. George and the 
Dragon, see Hone's Every Day Book, II, pp. 248-250, or an Encyclopaedia. 

Scene II 

3. case of lives : two lives, since a case of pistols contained two 
pistols. 

4. plain-song : figurative for simple fact, as plain-song in music was 
the simple melody without variations. 

27. be man to me : used here in a double sense; to be one's man is 
to be his servant; but the boy also implies the other idea, that all three 
together would not make up one man for him to serve. 

39. purchase : property acquired in any way except by inheritance; 
and especially in the language of thieves, booty. 

40. three half-pence : pronounced "ha-pence" and at that time about 
equal in purchasing power to thirty cents. The skilled mechanics, work- 
ing on the fleet which was to meet the Spanish Armada, received one 
shilling, or twelve pence, a day. 

43. carry coals: slang for endure affronts. 

47. pocketing up wrongs : slang for enduring insults. 

78. God-den: good-e'en: abbreviations of "God give you good even- 
ing," and found in various shortened forms like God-ye-good-den, God-ye- 
good-e'en, etc. Unlike our "good evening," it could be used any time 
after noon. 

103. sa': save. 

107. mess : corruption for Mass; see New International Dictionary. 

Scene III 

11. flesh'd soldier : a soldier who has killed others in war. Compare 
II, iv, 50. 

41. At Herod's . . . slaughtermen: What is the Biblical allusion? 
See Matthew, II, 16. 

58. Flourish : a series of notes blown on a trumpet to signify that the 
King was approaching. Every person of high rank was permitted to 



128 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [Act iii 

herald his approach by such a signal; and the particular trumpet call 
indicated who the person was. A similar custom survives in the Navy, 
where twenty-one guns is a salute to the President, a certain other 
number for an Admiral, etc. 



Scene IV 

Many editors reject this scene as not by Shakespeare, and others try 
to explain it in various learned ways; but the simple fact is, any audi- 
ence at a play is highly delighted to hear a foreigner struggling with the 
native language. Such a scene always pleases an audience. 

The following free translation will help pupils who do not read French 
to comprehend the scene: 

Kath. Alice, you have been in England, and speak the language well. 

Alice. A little, madam. 

Kath. I pray you, instruct me; it is necessary that I learn to speak it. 

What do you call la main in English ? 
Alice. La main? It is called de hand. 
Kath. De hand. And les doigts? 
Alice. Les doigts? By my faith, I forget les doigts; why, I shall never 

remember. Les doigts? I think that they are called de fingres; 

yes, de fingres. 
Kath. La main, de hand; les doigts, de fingres. I think that I am a 

good scholar; I have got two words of English quickly. What do 

you call les angles? 
Alice. Les angles? We call these de nails. 
Kath. De nails. Listen; tell me if I speak well: de hand, de fingres, 

and de nails. 
Alice. That is well said, madam; it is very good English. 
Kath. Tell me the English for le bras. 
Alice. De arm, madam. 
Kath. And le coude. 
Alice. De elbow. 
Kath. De elbow. I will repeat all the words you have taught me to 

the present 
Alice. It is too difficult, madam, as I think. 
Kath. Excuse me, Alice; listen: de hand, de fingres, de nails, de arma, 

de bilbow. [This is not only a blunder of Katharine's, but it means 

something. See bilbo in the New International Dictionary.] 
Alice. De elbow, madam. 
Kath. O my Lord, I forgot! de elbow. What do you call le col? [The 

French ladies are given the same freedom in the use of oaths that 

was enjoyed by the ladies of Elizabeth's court, who followed her 

liberal example.] 
Alice. De neck, madam. 
Kath. De nick. And le menton? 
Alice. De chin. 
Kath. De sin. Le col, de nick; le menton, de sin. 



Scene vi] NOTES 129 

Alice. Yes. Begging your pardon, in truth, you pronounce the words 
just as well as the natives of England. 

Kath. I don't at all doubt to learn, by the grace of God, and in a little time. 

Alice. Have you not already forgotten what I have taught you? 

Kath. No, I will recite to you promptly; de hand, de fingres, de mails, — 

Alice. De nails, madam. 
a Kath. De nails, de arm, de ilbow. 

Alice. Begging your pardon, de elbow. 
: Kath. So I say; de elbow, de nick, and de sin. What do you call le 
pied and la robe? 

Alice. De foot, madam; and de coun (for gown). [In Alice's pro- 
nunciation these two words must have resembled words which 
the English audience would recognize as vulgar.] 

Kath. De foot and de coun! O my Lord! Those words sound bad, 
corrupt, vulgar, and immodest, and not for honorable ladies to use. 
I would not speak the words in the presence of the lords of France 
for all the world. Fohl le foot and le coun! Nevertheless I will 
recite my lesson once more all together: de hand, de fingres, de nails, 
de arm, de elbow, de nick, de sin, de foot, de coun. 

Alice. Excellent, madam. 

Kath. That is enough for one time; let us go to dinner. 

Scene V 
5. Dieu vivant: O the living God! 

5. sprays of us: many of the English had Norman-French blood, 
being descended from William the Conqueror and his followers. This 
and the contemptuous reference in line ten are called out by the fact that 
William was the illegitimate son of " Robert the Magnificent, " also called 
Robert the Devil, who in turn was the son of Canute. 

11. Mort de ma vie ! Death of my life ! This about equals, "By my 
life!" 
' 14. nook-shotten : much indented by bays. 

15. Dieu de batailles! God of battles! 

18. sodden: see New International Dictionary. An allusion to the fact 
that boiling occurs twice in the process of making beer from barley. 
Notice the reference to barley broth below. 

26. Poor . . . native lords: because the native lords seem to lack 
courage in defense. 

45. For your . . . shames: for your great estates, acquit yourselves 
of the great shame which would otherwise be charged against you. 

58. And for . . . ransom : instead of winning a victory over us, offer 
us a ransom for his own release from danger. 

Scene VI 

6. Agamemnon : why he ? See any Dictionary of Classical Mythology 
for Fluellen's error. Note another blunder in line 13, where he compares 
Pistol to Mark Antony in valor. 



130 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [Act ra 

25. giddy . . . wheel : has two different forms of representation.' 
In one case, Fortune is represented as standing on a rolling globe; in the 
other, as fastened to one spoke of a wheel, and with the revolution of 
the wheel being sometimes at top, at side, or at bottom. Which is meant 
here ? 

36. moral: moral lesson. Compare IV, i, 12. 

54, 56. figo : Spanish for fig; of very little value, hence its mean- 
ing. Later Pistol tries to make it still more contemptuous by naming a 
fig of Spain, probably since Spain was still held in military contempt 
because of the defeat of the Armada, so anything Spanish was worse than 
all others of like nature. 

73. beard of the generaPs cut : compare the name of one style still 
called for General Biurnside, sometimes corrupted by the ignorant into 
Sideburn. 

87. passages: passages at arms, contests. 

118. upon our cue : an actor's cue is the last few words of the pre- 
ceding speech; hence this is about equal to "at the proper time." 

132. quality: profession. Actors always referred to their "quality," 
meaning in our phrase "profession." 

139. Unto an . . . vantage : unto a crafty enemy that has the ad- 
vantage. Shakespeare often uses a prepositional phrase with of where 
we should now use an adjective. Compare "thieves of mercy" {Ham. 
IV, vi, 20), which means "merciful thieves." 



Scene VII 

12-14. 5^) ^^' Behold. Hairs were used to stuff tennis balls, hence 
he bounds like a tennis ball. Le cheval volant, the flying horse, meaning 
the Greek Pegasus. Chez . . . feu: with nostrils breathing out fire. 
Chez should have been avec. 

20-21. he is . . . water : all substances were supposed to be created of 
earth, air, fire, and water; these were the four elements. Notice the 
implied influence of each element on the qualities of the horse. 

51. strossers: a variant spelling of trousers. 

57,58. my mistress . . . hair: my mistress's hair is genuine. An 
allusion to the common custom of ladies wearing false hair. 

61, 62. Le chien . . . bourbier : a loose French version of 2 Peter, 
II, 22, which see. 

81. go to hazard : make a bet. Notice the play on words in the use 

of the same word in line 82. What is the meaning there? 

89. tread out the oath: extinguish it, as one would fire. 

102, 103. hooded valour . . . bate: a phrase from the sport of 
hawking. Hunters kept hoods over the heads of their hawks till ready 



I! 

I 



Scene i] 



NOTES 



131 



to let them fly at game; hence "hooded valour" 
would be valour kept in restraint. Bate, used of a 
hawk, means "flap its wings," with the implication, 
"and do no more." 

114. overshot: plays on two meanings of the 
word, — surpassed, and (slang) intoxicated or ex- 
cited. 

141. stomachs: supposed to be the seat of cour- 
age, so was used for courage; hence the play on 
words here. 



ACT IV 

PROLOGUE 




HOODING A HAWK 

From an Elizabethan 
Ms. 



9. battle : line of battle, as often. 

12. accomplishing: equipping thoroughly by riveting certain parts 

of the armor after it was put on. 

45-48. that mean . . . the night : that common people and nobles 
all may behold, as plainly as our unworthy means may show, a little 
sketch of Harry in the night. 



Scene I 

19. Upon example : following a former example, or to give example 
to others ? Which ? See the context. 

34. God-a-mercy : God have mercy, about equal to "God bless you." 

35. Qui va la? Who goes there ? 
38. popular : plebeian. 

44, 45. The king's . . . fame : bawcock (compare III, ii, 22) is for 

French beaucock, and like the other three titles is slang for the more 
modern jolly good fellow. 

49. le Roi : the King. This shows that Pistol does not understand 
even very simple French: he thinks it is the name LeRoy. 

51. Welshman : Henry was born at Monmouth, in Wales, hence his 
name Harry of Monmouth. 

77. coxcomb : the licensed jesters, who attended on kings and great 
nobles, wore as part of their regular costume a cap, or sort of hood, with 
an imitation of a cock's comb upon it; hence coxcomb came to mean fool. 

95. wracked: old spelling for wrecked. 

95. a sand : a sand bar, and here implied to be far out from shore. 

100. element : sky, since air was one of the four elements. See III, 
vii, 20—21. 

133, 134, 135. upon : because of. 



132 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [Act iv 



160. native punishment: punishment at home. 
208. challenge: claim; compare II, iv, 95. 

217. to cut French crowns : the play upon words here and in the next 
line (clipper) is due to the not uncommon practice of clipping the edges 
of English silver and gold pieces and selling the metal thus stolen from 
the coins. The crown is five shillings, silver. 

249. bahn: oil used to anoint the king at his coronation. 

249. ball: a symbol of sovereignty. 

252. farced: see New International Dictionary, 3. It refers to the 
long title by which kings must be addressed, as, "His Most Gracious 
Majesty, Henry the Vth, by the Grace of God King of England, Lord 
of Ireland, Duke of Normandy, of Aquitaine, and Earl of Anjou," as 
given in one of his own proclamations. {Fac. of Nat'l MSS. by Sir H. 
James, PI. XIX). 

282, 283. fault . . . made : see the story in Shakespeare's King 
Richard II; or let some member of the class read that play and tell the 
story briefly. Found also in any good History of England. 

287-289. Five hundred . . . pardon blood : he was supporting five 
hundred poor people, who in return were twice a day praying heaven to 
pardon the great wrong done by his father, Henry IV, in usurping the 
throne from Richard II, and causing the latter's death. 

Scene II 

2-6. Montez . . . Ciel: Montez a cheval! To horse! Varlet and 
laquais are addressed to his grooms. Via! les eaux et la terre! Be- 
gone, water and earth (the dull elements of his horse, leaving him only 
air and fire, as Orleans says) ; Rein puis? Pair et le feu ! Nought else ? 
but air and fire! Compare III, vii, 20-21. 

21. curtle-axe: see curtal ax and c\x^2iss, in New International Dic- 
tionary. 

35. tucket sonance : a flourish on a trumpet. 
41. curtains: figurative for banners. 
54. battle : army; compare IV, Pro., 9. 

Scene III 

26. if men . . . wear: allusion to the fact that a king's followers 
then dressed in his livery, or clothes provided at his expense. 

31-33. I -would ... I have : the meaning of this passage is ex- 
plained by the belief that when one man conquered another, or one army 
another, all the formerly accumulated honors of the conquered fell upon 
the conqueror. See another allusion to this belief by the king when he 
was Prince Henry, in i Henry IV, III, ii, 142-152. 

40. feast of Crispian : see Hone's Every Day Book, I, 697-701, or an 

Encyclopaedia, under St. Crispin. 



I 



Scene v] NOTES 133 

50. with advantages : Notice the humor. He will remember that day 
and tell of it with imagined deeds added, as such things always grow in 
the telling. 

63. gentle his condition: make him nobler; not of course raise a 
peasant to high rank, though he says just that. 

69. battles : which meaning here, armies or lines of battle ? 



Scene IV 

Stage Direct. Excursions: properly "an expedition or sally," but 
probably here means that soldiers march or charge back and forth across 
the stage before the real action begins. 

4. Qualtitie ... me ! some of Pistol's nonsense in imitation of 
the French which he did not understand. 

6. Seigneur Dieu ! O my God! 

12. 0, prenez . . . moi: O have mercy! have pity on me! 

13. moys : not, as some explain, a measure of grain, for Pistol thinks 
it is something valuable being offered. See line 21. It is like his "I'll 
fer him" merely to amuse the audience. 

16. Est-il . . . bras? Is it impossible to escape the violence of 
your arm? 

24. Ecoutez . . . appele? Tell me! what is your name? 

27. fer: possibly pronounced like "fear"; to mean "scare." 

31. Que dit-il, monsieur? What did he say, sir? 

32 34. II me . . . gorge: very poor French for: — He commands 
me to tell you to get ready, for this soldier here is going to cut your throat 
at once. 

47. Petit . . . dit-il? Little gentleman, what does he say ? 

48-51. Encore . . . franchisement : Although it is against his 
oath to pardon any prisoner, nevertheless, for the crowns that you have 
promised, he is contented to give you your liberty, your freedom. 

62. Suivez-vous . . . capitaine: Follow the great captain. 

66 68. this roaring . . . dagger: an allusion to the devil, who was 
usually present in person in the action of the old Morality plays, and to 
the buffoon, also called the Vice, who carried a dagger of lath with which 
he beat the devil over the back or tried to cut off his clavv^s. Compare 
Twelfth Night, IV, ii, 130-141. 



Scene V 

1-3. diable . . .ma vie: translated in order, — O the devil! O 
Lord! the day is lost, all is lost! By my life! 
5. m^chante : wicked. 



134 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [Act v 

Scene VI 

31. all my mother : all the womanly in me. I 

33, 34. I must . . . too : I must of necessity compromise by letting 
tears fall from my eyes, or the eyes themselves will fall out too. 

35-37. what new . . . prisoners : explain this order in view of what 
is learned in the next scene. 

Scene VII 

65. I have . . . ransom: I have "fixed these bones of mine as the 
sum to be paid" for my ransom. Schmidt. 

130. from : opposite to. Emphatic here as frequently in Shakespeare. 

130. of his degree : of his quality, which was too noble to accept a 
challenge of a man of Williams's station in life. "Answer" was the for- 
mal word for accepting a challenge to a duel. 

135. Jacksauce: blunder for saucy Jack. 

Scene VIII f | 

8. 'Sblood: By God's blood; another of the numerous oaths then com- 
mon. —^ , 

26. in change : in exchange for mine. f | 

35. thy glove : the glove Williams has in his cap, and had received 

from the king. "Look here," etc. the king takes the mate from his own . 

belt. m 

117. Non nobis and Te Deum : the first words of two Latin chants. 
The first one begins, in translation, — "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, 
but to thy name be given the glory," etc.; and the second, "We praise 
thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord," etc. 



ACT V 

PROLOGUE 



16. Blackheath : six or eight miles from London Bridge, on the road 
to Dover. 

30. the general . . . Empress : the Earl of Essex, who went to Ire- 
land in April, 1599, as governor, to put down the rebellion of Tyrone, and 
returned to England in September of the same year. As he failed in his 
expedition, and had an inglorious return, these lines must have been 
written between April and September, 1599. 

38. Emperor's coming; Emperor Sigismund of Germany came to 
England in May, 1416, 



Scene ii] NOTES 135 

Scene I 

2. Saint Davy's day: see IV, i, 55. 

17. bedlam : a bedlam beggar, that is a Bethlehem beggar, who pre- 
tended to be insane, hence a bedlam was an insane person. See New 
International Dictionary, 2. 

17. Trojan : a loose roistering fellow, then a term of reproach. For 
other names for the same class of fellows, see IV, i, 44-45. 

25. Cadwallader and all his goats : the last Welsh king to wear the 
crown of Britain, and a popular heroical figure in Welsh history. The 
mountains of Wales made goat-herding a common form of industry. 

63, 64. upon an honourable respect : for the purpose of honor. 

Scene II 

27. bar and royal interview : place of royal interview. 

40. it : its. Until the end of the i6th century, his was the neuter as well 
as the masculine personal pronoun, and occurs constantly in others as 
well as in this play. In a few cases it occurs as here. See King Lear, 
I, iv, 236. 

82. accept: probably means acceptance, or peremptory answer of ac- 
ceptance. It may be a corrupt line, or it may mean "pass or except 
our peremptory answer"; answer in the sense of acceptance as fre- 
quently in quarrels. That is, we will suddenly give or refuse our peremp- 
tory acceptance of the articles. 

111,112. Quedit-il . . . dit-il: What does he say? That I am 
like the angels? Yes, truly, saving your grace, so he said. 

120. dat is de princess: probably, "that is what the princess means." 
130. clap hands : an old formal custom of betrothal. 

134-137. For the one . . . strength : this play upon words is because 
of the three meanings of measure, — (i) meter in poetry; (2) a formal 
dance like a minuet; (3) quantity. 

142. jack-an-apes : monkey, because of its ability to climb or cling to 
things. 

149. let thine . . . cook : possibly an allusion to the proverb, " The 
test of the pudding is in the eating"; that is, let your eyes judge me as a 
cook would judge a dinner, by its worth not by its looks. 

178-182. Je quand . . . mienne : very poor French for, — When I 
have possession of France, and when you have me, . . . then France 
is yours and you are mine. 

181. Saint Denis : patron saint of France. For the story, see Hone's 
Every Day Book, I, 685, or the Century Dictionary of Names, or an 
Encyclopoedia. 

185, 186. Sauf votre . . . parle: The French that you speak is 
better than my English. 



136 KING HENRY THE FIFTH [Epi. 

204, 205. la plus . . . d6esse : the most beautiful Katharine of the 

world, my thrice dear and divine goddess. 

230. in broken music : the pun will be clear by noticing that to sing 
broken music was to sing what we should call a part song, or catch. 

239-242. Laissez, . . . seigneur: Let me go, my lord, stop, stop! 
By my faith, I cannot permit you to abase your highness by kissing the 
hand of one of your lordship's unworthy servants. Excuse me, I beg 
you, my very powerful lord. 

297. perspectively : in a glass perspective, which sometimes seems to 
have been a sort of telescope, and sometimes a kind of kaleidoscope. 
Which is meant here? 

EPILOGUE 
4. starts: "fragmentary representations." Rolfe. 



GENERAL TOPICS FROM WHICH SPECIAL TOPICS FOR 
PAPERS MAY BE DERIVED , 

I. The Use of the Prologues and Choruses. Compare Romeo and 
Juliet, Acts I and II; Troilus and Cressida, Acts I and II; Henry IV y 
and the Induction to The Winter's Tale. For use in Greek plays see 
R. G. Moulton's The Ancient Classical Drama, and Haigh's The Attic 
Theatre, and the Attic Tragedians. 

II. Henry Fifth's Claim to the Throne of France. 

III. The Honey-bee (I, ii, 187-204). Compare Maeterlinck's The 
Life of the Bee; J. Lyly's Euphues (Arber Reprint), pp. 262-264; Mil 
ton's Paradise Lost, I, 768-775. 

IV. The Youthful Days of Henry Fifth. See parts i and 2 of King 

Henry Fourth, and the Histories of England. 

V. "If his cause be wrong," etc. (IV, i, 125-178). What is the 
modern belief in such matters? 

VI. The Humorous Scenes of the Play. 

VII. Henry Fifth in Shakespeare and in Authentic History. 

VIII. Shakespeare's Indebtedness to Holinshed's Chronicle. 



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